Curse of the Devil Z
by Sailor Enlil
Summary: Kazumi Asakura decides to check on her cousin Akio Asakura. When she learns he drives a blue Nissan Fairlady Z S30 that's tainted with a dark past, Kazumi becomes concerned for him, while Negi senses a dark and ominous presence within the car.
1. Prologue: The Devil Z's latest victim

Curse of the Devil Z 

Kazumi Asakura decides to check on her cousin Akio Asakura. When she learns he drives a blue Nissan Fairlady Z S30 that's tainted with a dark past, Kazumi becomes concerned for him, while Negi senses a dark and ominous presence within the car. Takes place after the Mahora Festival.

Disclaimer: Maho Sensei Negima is property of Ken Akamatsu and all related publishers. Wangan Midnight is property of Michiharu Kusunoki, Kodanshita, OB Planning, and Namco.

* * *

Prologue: The Devil Z's Latest Victim 

(10 minutes past Midnight, Mahora Girls' Dormitories)

A girl with long hair tied in a spiky form was awake in her dorm room. She couldn't sleep, having a sense of dread. Suddenly the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Is this the residence of Asakura Kazumi?"

"Um, yes. Who is this?"

"This is from the desk of the Mahora Medical Academy. I'm, afraid I have unpleasant news for you."

"What?"

"It's regarding your cousin, Asakura Akio."

"Wha... what about... Is... Is he..."

"I'm... I'm sorry. We, um, we tried everything we could to save him."

A loud wail sounded off from the Mahora girls' dormitires.

(30 minutes later)

Negi burst open the door, which was fortunately unlocked, after quickly flying to Kasumi's dorm room from Asuna's after hearing the former's loud wail. He immediately found Kasumi laying on the floor fetus style, crying, the receiver of her telephone laying next to her, discarded and forgotten.

Negi slowly approached the young girl, knelt before her, and stroked her hair.

"What happened, Asakura-san?"

Kasumi slowly sat up and turned to face Negi, with streaks of tears on her cheeks. Her face was mournful.

"Negi... (sniff) sensei... (sniff) Akio... (sniff) niisan... (sniff) he... (sniff) he..."

Negi wrapped his arms around Kasumi, taking her into a hug.

"I'm sorry Asakura-san."

Kasumi's only response was to hug him back, and cry openly. Negi slowly rocked her back and forth, trying to console her.

'Damn it all! I should have known this would happen!' thought Negi. 'If only I knew clearly what was in that accursed car! Just exactly why do they call it the "Devil Z"!?'

-TBC

* * *

A/N: Just another Negima crossover experiment I'm trying out, this time with Wangan Midnight. To those wondering why Akio Asakura is reported dead, actually this "prologue" is some time into the actual story. So next chapter will be the actual start of the story, when Kazumi gets her first ride in the Devil Z. And the plot is inspired by something from the first Negima TV Series (the one by Xebec). 


	2. Chap 1: The Devil Z's Mahora Debut

Curse of the Devil Z 

Kazumi Asakura decides to check on her cousin Akio Asakura. When she learns he drives a blue Nissan Fairlady Z S30 that's tainted with a dark past, Kazumi becomes concerned for him, while Negi senses a dark and ominous presence within the car. Takes place after the Mahora Festival.

Disclaimer: Maho Sensei Negima is property of Ken Akamatsu and all related publishers. Wangan Midnight is property of Michiharu Kusunoki, Kodanshita, OB Planning, and Namco.

* * *

Chapter 1: The Devil Z's Mahora Debut 

(Mid-July, Late Afternoon, approaching dusk)

Kazumi Asakura left her room and walked into the Mahora dormitory's parking lot with a grin on her face. Summer break was finally here and she was going to enjoy every bit of it.

As she got to the parking area's waiting shed, she remembered meeting someone during the Mahora Festival.

(Flashback, Mahora Festival Day 2)

"Heeheehee! Things are going full blast today!" said a merry Kazumi to her ghost friend.

"Sure is!" replied Sayo Aisawa.

"Let's see," said Kazumi, looking at the various booths. "What's say we check that out" pointing at one area full of cars.

"Hai!" replied Sayo.

The pair approached the fenced-off area with the sign "Mahora Speed Tuners' Club" on the front entrance. Inside, just over a dozen customized cars with their hoods open were on display. Some had their engines running complete with loud roaring revs from the exhaust; one car with huge speakers was blaring a hip-hop tune (A/N: think "Get Low" by Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz), others were simply sitting pretty with their colorful designs, lights, accessories, wheel rims, wings, spoilers, and other addons.

"Woo! Chao-san and Hakase-san would love these cars for lunch!" remarked Kazumi. One car in particular got her attention. It had an older design compared to the others, reminicient of the 70's. It was a Nissan Fairlady Z S30 sports coupe with nice dark shade of blue, round headlights recessed into the fenders far behind the grille, and an overall look that spoke volumes of speed and power.

Kazumi noted one male teenager standing next to the car seeming lost on thought instead of talking lively with the visitors unlike the owners of the other cars. As she approached him, something rang in her mind, then she called out to him.

"Akio-niisan?" she addressed the young man with a bit of uncertainty.

"Yes?" replied the young man, turning around and facing Kazumi. His eyes widened with recongition. "Kazumi-chan!? Is that you!?"

"Akio-niisan!" cried Kazumi, giving the boy she called Akio a big hug. "It's been so long!"

"Yeah!" replied Akio, returning the hug, before the two released each other. "Look at you, you've grown!" he said, trying not to stare at Kazumi's chest. "Well, I mean..."

"Hentai!" teased Kazumi, who did notice, as Akio blushed. Sayo, who was of course unseen by everyone, was laughing hysterically.

"Ah, eh..." stuttered Akio.

"Daijaobu!" said Kazumi assuredly while patting Akio on the shoulder. "That's only normal for you guys, right?" she said, winking.

"M-mou!" pouted Akio, while Kazumi giggled, before she sobered up.

"So, what brings you around here?" asked Kasumi, then noticing the blue car. "Say, don't tell me this thing here is yours, is it?"

"Ah, oh yes." said Akio, patting the fender of the car. "This is my pride and joy. The Devil Z."

"Ha?" piped Kazumi with a bit of confusion in her face. "Devil Z? What kind of name for a car is that?"

"Ehehe. Everyone's called this car that name even before I bought it" explained Akio.

"Soka," replied Kazumi.

"Yeah. Actually I was invited here by a friend, though he himself didn't show up, and I didn't really know anyone else here so it was getting kinda boring. I didn't expect to see you here though."

"I guess I came at a good time then? So how long have you had this car?"

"Oh, for over a year, about since before last year's Spring break. It's a replacement for my other car."

"Eh? What's the problem with the old car? Wrecked or something?"

"Nah, it just didn't have the speed I wanted."

"Speed? You mean like really fast?"

"Yeah, you have to ride this car to find out just how fast it is."

"Um, isn't that a little dangerous? I mean, it's great to have a fast car, but..."

"Don't worry, I've been keeping it in tip top shape."

"Speaking of which, you doing okay in school?"

"Uh, actually, I've had to repeat a year."

"WHAT!?"

"Ehehehe. Too many absenses."

"Why?"

"Been working on this car, since Ko-chan wouldn't fix it for me anymore. So it's been taking all my time."

"Hey, I know you wanna have some fun while your young, but repeating a grade?" said Kazumi worriedly, recalling five certain idiots in her class who almost got their teacher out of the job.

"Hey, I'm not too worried. As long as I have this car I'm living my life to the fullest."

"(Sigh) If you say so. By the way what's this about the girls in your school all crying when you couldn't graduate with them, huh?" asked Kasumi craftily. "I didn't know you were that popular." She couldn't help but compare Akio's popularity at his school with that of her own professor in her class.

"Where'd you hear about that?"

"Hehehe, since I'm an aspiring journalist I gotta learn the ropes, like having sources you know."

"Jeez, not that I don't appreciate those girls' feelings, but I just don't dig that kind of stuff, if you know what I mean."

"Well, it's your life. Anyhow I think I've hung around long enough. I gotta go."

"Well, okay sure. Um, maybe we could get together sometime?"

"Sure! And maybe you could show me just how special this car of yours is?"

"I'd be glad to."

"Alright. See ya, Akio-niisan!"

"Bye Kasumi-chan!"

(a few minutes later, at an alley)

"Well, he sure is something." Kasumi said to herself as she walked down the alley. "What a waste. He could have any girl he wanted and instead he went for that car of his. What do you think Sayo? Sayo?"

"E-eh?" piped Kasumi's ghost friend. "Nani?"

"Say, you looked out of it. Something bothering you?"

"Oh, um, nothing really."

"You sure?"

"Yeah!"

"If you say so."

'(Sigh) It was nothing, was it?' thought Sayo. 'There wasn't anything in that car, was there?' she thought with incertainty, as the pair walked on their way to meet up with Chao Lingshen.

(present time)

"What was bothering Sayo back then?" Kazumi asked herself as she waited at the parking lot. "Was it Akio's car? Pehaps the name 'Devil Z'... nahh." she cast the thought aside, before she heard a distinctive roar of a car's engine increasing in volume and crescendo. Moments later, Akio's car arrived. As it came to a stop at the shed where Kasumi was sitting at, the driver's side window opened.

"Hey Kasumi-chan! Did you wait long?" asked Akio from the car.

"Nope! Not at all." replied Kazumi.

"Good. Hop in!" said Akio, unlocking the passenger door. Kazumi got in, then buckled up. "Any last words?" he joked.

"Hah! Bring it on!" replied an amused Kazumi.

"Hang on to your teeth then" said Akio, before he drove off.

(New Belt Line Loop, Shuto Expressway, enroute to Tatsumi Junction exit to Wangan Line Westbound, 15 minutes later)

"Hmm? I thought you were gonna show me how fast this thing can go!" pouted Kazumi.

"We've had to go through lots of turns back there. You ain't seen nothing yet!" replied Akio.

(BGM: In Your Dream)

"Eh?" piped Kazumi, as Akio turned into an expressway exit, emerging right into a very long 3-lane stretch of road.

Then he gunned the throttle.

"WHOAAAAA!" yelled Kazumi, overwhelmed by the lurch of the car as it gained speed. Within seconds, they were screaming down the highway at 320 kilometers an hour (nearly 200 mph), passing a number of other vehicles as if they were standing still. Kazumi could barely keep herself steady, almost shuddering from the rush of adrenalin. While she experienced high speed travel before, that was usually in bullet trains, which had smooth, uneventful rides with a beautiful passing view of the countyside. This on the other hand was a totally different beast. The slight uneveness of the road along with a few slight turns giving her a number of jolts, the forward view of the road with everything in sight rushing towards her, with all the streetlights adding to the effect, along with passing so many much slower vehicles (and the shifting of lanes due to this), made this ride more like a roller coaster gone out of control.

Kazumi turned to Akio to try and talk with him, but paused. Despite the speed they were going, Akio looked stoic, fully concentrated on driving, which amazed, and somewhat frightened, Kazumi.

After a few minutes of pure blazing speed, Akio peeled off at the next exit ramp and eased up on the gas.

(end BGM)

"How was that?" he suddenly asked.

Kazumi was jolted out of her reverie. "Ah, um, eto..." she stuttered. "Ehehehe that was... fast. Yeah that's it".

"You okay there?"

"Um, yeah! Yeah I'm alright!"

"Hope I didn't scare you"

"Oh no no no!" she said almost excitedly. "I've had some excitement like this before, though not while riding a car"

"Well, you can tell me about that sometime. Anyway since it's late, I'll take you back."

"Uh, thanks" replied Kazumi, as Akio made a turn and entered the Yokohane line, but driving at a more sedate pace.

(Mahora dormitories, 45 minutes later)

"Whew! Thanks for the ride!" said Kazumi as she stepped off Akio' car.

"Don't mention it." replied Akio.

"Anyway take care of yourself you hear?"

"Sure!"

"Goodnight!"

"'Night!" said Akio, as he manouvered the car and drove off.

'Hmm. That was indeed something. He sure was amazing.' thought Kazumi, as she headed back to her dorm room.

-TBC

* * *

A/N: This is the actual start of the story. Basically I'm mainly using the Wangan Universe from the game point of view (hence some of the BGMs from game 3 will be mentioned), though timeline wise, it takes place over a year after Akio purchased the Devil Z (so by this time many of the manga's characters have made their appearance). The main bridge between Wangan and Negima in this crossover is the family relationship between Akio and Kazumi, since they have the same surname. Later though, there will be other meetings between characters from either side, including distant family relations, common interests, chance meetings, and work acquaintances.  
In Your Dream is my favorite BGM from the 3rd game, which gives a good sense of speed and is feels suitable for a nighttime situation. 


	3. Chap 2: The Devil Z's Main Rival

Curse of the Devil Z 

Kazumi Asakura decides to check on her cousin Akio Asakura. When she learns he drives a blue Nissan Fairlady Z S30 that's tainted with a dark past, Kazumi becomes concerned for him, while Negi senses a dark and ominous presence within the car. Takes place after the Mahora Festival.

Disclaimer: Maho Sensei Negima is property of Ken Akamatsu and all related publishers. Wangan Midnight is property of Michiharu Kusunoki, Kodanshita, OB Planning, and Namco.

* * *

Chapter 2: The Devil Z's Main Rival 

(The following Friday, late evening, at a hospital)

"How's my prognosis Sensei?" asked a man in a hospital bed.

"You're doing better Yoshiaki-san" replied the attending doctor. "You need to take it easy though."

"Soka" replied the patient, one Ishida Yoshiaki, famous photographer.

"Get a good rest for tonight, then you can go home. Good day."

"You too Sensei"

Dr. Tatsuya Shima left Ishida's room and headed back to his office. When he got there, a young middleschool student apprenticing as a nurse was waiting for him.

"Ah, Sensei" said the girl. "Here's today's reports"

"Ah, thank you, Izumi-kun." replied Tatsuya.

The young girl, one Ako Izumi, decided to take an apprenticeship program at a hospital in downtown Tokyo during the summer break, with 4 hours shifts 3 days a week. She hoped it would help her get over her fear of blood. Tatsuya Shima took her in as his apprentice, and was quite understanding and helpful to the middleschooler. On this day though she ended up helping the doctor on some paper work which took well into the night.

"This should be all for today. Good job." said Tatsuya.

"Arigato, sensei" replied Ako.

"Have you had dinner already?"

"Hai"

"Since it's late, perhaps I should give you a ride home?"

"Um, I guess it's alright. I live in the Mahora academy dorms. I normally take the train."

"I see, quite some distance from here. I might as well insist on giving you a lift, especially at this time of night."

"Hai."

(10 minutes later, parking area)

"Heeeh? This is your car?" asked an amazed Ako.

"That it is" replied Tatsuya, as they got onboard his car, a black Porsche 911. After they buckled up, he started the engine, and the roar of the engine startled Ako. Tatsuya then drove out of the parking lot and into the city. In minutes, the car entered the Wangan expressway going east.

"I meant to ask you" began Tatsuya. "Why'd you choose to apprentice at our hospital? I know Mahora has a good medical facility."

"The headmaster recommended it" said Ako. "He said something about a change in atmosphere, since I'm already familiar with Mahora's hospital."

"Ah, I see." replied Tatsuya. Suddenly his face went grim.

"Eh? What is it Sensei?" asked Ako.

"He's here again." replied Tatsuya.

"Huh? Who?"

"The driver of the Devil Z"

"Eh? Devil Z?"

Behind them, a blue Nissan Fairlady Z S30 approached, flashing its headlights. Tatsuya took this as another racing challenge. "Hang on Izumi-kun."

(BGM: Get You Cornered)

"Nani?" asked a confused Ako.

Without warning, Tatsuya shifts gears, then floors it.

"WAAAAAA!" hollered Ako, as the black Porsche lurches from the hard acceleration. Likewise, the Fairlady Z followed suit. "Ah, ah, S-sensei! What's going on!?" asked a panic striken Ako.

"Daijoubu. I do this all the time." replied Tatsuya rather calmly.

Ako was flabbergasted at what was happening. The car she was riding on was doing well over 300 km/h, and so far kept the pursuing car Tatsuya called the Devil Z behind. For 5 minutes this went on, and Ako was overwhelemed at the ride. She freaked when they passed a large truck-trailer. "Sensei!"

Tatsuya remained stoic.

Eventually, the Devil Z managed to accelerate and catch up with the Porsche. Now they were side by side, with the Devil Z on the Porsche's right. Ako got a good look at the car, and her eyes went wide when she recognized its passenger. "Eh? Kazumi?"

Likewise, Kazumi, on board the Devil Z, was surprised when she turned and saw Ako in the Porsche.

"You know her?" asked Tatsuya.

"Hai! She's my classmate." replied Ako. Looking on, she saw Kazumi look towards her car's driver and talk to him, then point in Ako's direction. The driver nodded and smiled.

"Hmm, I presume she also lives at your dormitories as well?"

"Hai!"

"I see. Perhaps the Devil Z is also stopping where I'm taking you."

"EH??? You'll be racing all the way to Mahora---"

"Don't worry. I don't drive as fast when off the Wangan, and neither will he in his car."

"Ah, yokata"

"But first..." said Tatsuya, gunning the throttle again.

"AAHHHH!!" yelled Ako, as the Porsche pulled away from the Devil Z. Then, he pulled into the next exit, and smirked as he eased his pace.

(end BGM)

"Mou! Sensei!" moaned Ako.

"Like I said, I don't drive that fast when not on the Wangan."

(30 minutes later, Mahora Dormitories parking area)

"Unhhh." sighed Ako. "Please don't do that again Sensei." she said as she sat down at the waiting shed, feeling winded.

"Daijoubu. Only at nighttime." said Tatsuya, standing in front of her; he offered to walk her to her dorm room as an apology to the big scare she got from the impromptu streetrace. He was interrupted by the sound of another car's engine. He turned and saw the Devil Z pull into a parking slot next to his car. Its driver and passenger got out and approached the former pair.

"You got me there Shima-san." said the driver.

"Not too bad yourself Asakura-san." said Tatsuya. "You're lucky I didn't go at my full pace since I had a passenger."

"Ako!" greeted Kazumi.

"Kazumi!" replied Ako.

"Ah, Ako, this is my cousin, Akio"

"Domo!" said Akio.

"Domo." replied Ako. "Ano, this is my mentor, Tatsuya Shima-sensei"

"Ah! Konbanwa, Sensei!" greeted Kazumi.

Tatsuya nodded.

"So you two do this all the time?" asked Kazumi.

"Yes we do." said Akio.

"Isn't that rather dangerous?"

"Well, it can be. I've had a few mishaps..."

"Mou! Don't keep me worrying Akio-niisan!"

"Ehehehe"

"Don't worry about it." Tatsuya cut in. "He's tamed the Devil Z by now."

"Well I hope so!" said Kazumi, turning to Tatsuya. "And your car is called the Blackbird, right?"

"That's right."

"Blackbird?" asked a confused Ako.

"(Sigh!) This is really amazing. Such things you guys do." said Kazumi. "Don't tell me other guys do this too?"

"Well..." began Akio, but Kazumi stopped him.

"Never mind, save it!" said Kazumi. "Well, I'd better call it a day. Let's go in Ako."

"Hai!" replied Ako. "Sensei, you don't have to accompany anymore."

"No problem, Izumi-kun." replied Tatsuya.

"Goodnight girls!" said Akio.

"Night guys," replied Kazumi. "Oh, and, Akio-niisan?"

"Yes Kazumi-chan?"

"Drive safely."

"Hai, ojousama!" replied Akio jokingly.

"Eh? Uh, mou!" moaned an irritated Kazumi.

Ako giggled at the banter between the cousins, while Tatsuya smirked.

Nobody noticed a small doll with white hair, with its strap held by Kazumi, shaking, as if in fright.

-TBC


	4. Chap 3: The Devil Z's Siblings

Curse of the Devil Z

Kazumi Asakura decides to check on her cousin Akio Asakura. When she learns he drives a blue Nissan Fairlady Z S30 that's tainted with a dark past, Kazumi becomes concerned for him, while Negi senses a dark and frightening presence within the car. Takes place after the Mahora Festival.

Disclaimer: Maho Sensei Negima is property of Ken Akamatsu and all related publishers. Wangan Midnight is property of Michiharu Kusunoki, Kodanshita, OB Planning, and Namco.

* * *

Chapter 3: The Devil Z's Siblings

(The following Saturday, late evening, Shibuya Ward)

"Haa! That was so much fun Misa!"

"Yeah you said it Sakurako! This is the Ritz! Too bad Kugimin had to be a party pooper!"

Misa Kakizaki and Sakurako Shiina, from Mahora Girls' Middle school Class 3-A and the Mahora Cheerleaders' Club, were out fooling around in the Shibuya district like gals on crack. Always out looking for fun, they spent practically the whole day in Shibuya engaging in various fun activities from window shopping, to snacking, to playing games, to Karaoke, which was the most recent activity they had for the day before this little trip to a convinience store. Their classmate and fellow cheerleader, Madoka Kugimiya, declined to join in the fun.

"Oh indeed. Sometimes I don't get what she's thinking. It's summer break for crying out loud!" remarked Misa as the pair exited the convinience store. It was then they noticed that the city had grown rather quiet with few people around and little traffic on the streets.

"Oh this is boring!" whined Sakurako. "Where is everyone?"

"They probably got sleepy and got some shuteye. Ugh!"

"Oh well, let's go find something else to..." Sakurako stopped. She noticed two women at the parking area of the convinience store near a pair of flashy sports cars. Then it hit her as she recognized one of them. "Hey Misa! Isn't that Reina Akikawa?"

"Yeah it is!" replied Misa. "And that other one is Makoto Morishita!"

"This is too cool! Let's ask for their autographs!"

(In the parking area)

"At least we clean their clocks real good this time!" said a girl with long brown hair.

"Yeah. Those jerks from the R200 Club are getting to be a real pain!" replied her companion, a girl with short red hair. "I can't believe they came back all of a sudden."

"Yeah! I thought they hung up their gloves for good after Akio-kun, Tatsuya-kun, and I gave them a run down a year ago!"

"A-ano, sumimsen!"

The two ladies turned to face the two cheerleaders. "Yes?" asked the brown haired girl.

"Can we have your autographs please?" begged Sakurako, holding out a magazine turned to a full-page ad. The ad featured the brown haired girl holding a can of juice.

"Yes, pretty please?" added Misa, holding another magazine opened to an ad featuring the redhead.

The two girls, apparently found out public that they were models, looked at each other.

"What do you think Makoto-chan?" asked the brown haired girl.

"Hmm, gee Reina-chan, I don't know..." replied the redhead playfully, as if in deep thought, taking pleasure in seeing what may be their new set of groupies looking all puppy-eyed. Finally, she said "Come one! Let's be nice for a change."

"Well, why not?" said the girl identified as Reina. She and her companion, Makoto, finally turned to the two Mahora cheerleaders. "Alright you two. Just this once."

"Yaaayyy!" cheered the two middleschoolers as they got their wish.

"This is sooo cool!" piped Sakurako. "It's so great to finally meet you!"

"Oh yes indeed!" added Misa. "Kugimin is going to be jealous when she finds out!"

"Nice to know we have such adoring fans" remarked Reina, almost sarcastically. Makoto giggled.

"You must have a lot of fun being a model." said Sakurako.

"Well, yeah, but it's not all fun and games." said Reina.

"Eh?" piped Misa.

"Well, there's the busy schedule. Photoshoots, VIP parties, and my TV show." explained Reina.

"That's right." said Makoto.

"Aww, and I just when I wanted to be a model too!" said Sakurako.

"Hey, don't let it get you down" said Makoto. "We get to meet lots of great people"

"Hmm, I guess you're right." replied Misa.

"Now that you know us, shouldn't it be fair we know who you are?" said Makoto.

"Oh, forgive us!" replied Sakurako. "I'm Sakurako Shiina, Mahora Girls' Middle School class 3-A"

"And I'm Misa Kakizaki, Sakurako's classmate and co-member in the Mahora Cheering club!" said Misa.

"Heeeh? Middle school?" remarked Reina. "Boy did I miss those days."

"Oh?" piped Sakurako.

"I started modelling when I was in highschool. As a consequence I didn't go to college. I missed all my school friends because of that." said Reina.

"Soka" said Misa.

"But that's alright. Like I said I've meet some great people, like Makoto-chan here."

"Ah, so you're working together?" asked Sakurako.

"Actually, we met not mainly because of being models, but because of a common hobby." said Makoto.

"What's that?" asked Misa.

Reina patted her car, a white Nissan Skyline GT-R R32, while Makoto patted hers, a yellow Nissan 300ZX Z32.

"You're looking at them" said Reina.

"Ehhhh???" gasped the cheerleaders.

"You... you're into sports cars!?" asked Sakurako.

"That's right!" said Makoto.

"Do you like, race them?" asked Misa.

"Bingo!" said Reina.

"No way!" said the two cheerleaders.

"Way!" replied the models.

"Okay, this is weird." said Sakurako. "I mean, I just can't picture you ladies racing and stuff."

"Yeah. Most models I've seen just pose on cars, not drive them!" said Misa.

"That's true, but we're not like 'most models' so to speak." said Makoto.

"I still kinda find that hard to believe." said Sakurako.

Reina and Makoto looked at each other, and smiled.

"How about we give you girls a demonstration?" said Reina.

"EHHH!??"

"Sure! Besides, at this time of night, it's dangerous for young girls like you to be wandering around by yourselves." said Makoto. "Why not hitch a ride and we can take you home?"

"Well, we do live at the Mahora dorms." said Sakurako.

"And it's quite some way from here, and we kinda ran out of pocket money" said Misa sheepishly.

"I can imagine" said Reina. "So, who's riding with who?"

"Can I ride with you Reina-san?" asked Sakurako.

"And may I hitch with you Makoto-san?" added Misa.

"Of course! Hop in!" said Reina.

"Come on!" said Makoto.

The models unlocked their cars so that everyone could hop in. After everyone was buckled up, they drove off into the night, until they reached Route 3 of the Shuto Expressway.

"So, why'd you call it the 'Reina-R'?" asked said Sakurako, riding in Reina's car.

"Hehehe, well, it's a way to say it's my car, and my car alone!" remarked Reina.

"Wow this is amazing" said Sakurako, watching Reina tackle the corners of the Tokyo Metropolitan Highway.

"Ha! This is nothing. Wait till we reach Wangan!" said Reina.

"Wangan? As in the Bayshore Route?" said Sakurako.

(BGM: Fun Loving Spirit)

Within minutes, the two cars rolled along the New Beltline route, approaching the Tatsumi Junction.

"Alright, brace yourself!" said Reina.

"Eh?" piped Sakurako.

As they exited the ramp, they emerged into the Wangan Expressway heading west. Then Reina gunned it.

"WAAAAAAA!!!" yelled Sakurako in reaction to the car's acceleration. She glanced at the mirror and saw Makoto's car following them, matching their pace. She then glanced at Reina, who looked completely focused on the road. "Sugoi..."

"Having fun yet?" asked Reina.

"Ah- uh, hai!" blurted Sakurako.

Reina giggled. She let up a little so that Makoto's 300ZX caught up to run side by side with them on the Skyline's right. "Check out Makoto-chan." she ordered.

Sakurako glanced at Makoto and was awestruck. She almost laughed at Makoto's passenger Misa who was looking really nervous. "Misa's not exactly having the time of her life."

Reina laughed. "Some people just can't handle the speed. My manager for instance really freaked out when I drove him back to the studio." she said, earning a laugh from Sakurako. "Well well well."

"What is it?" asked Sakurako.

"Look who's here." said Reina, indicating a blue car ahead of them. Reina made an enigmatic hand signal to Makoto, who nodded back.

"What's going on?" asked Sakurako.

"Watch this!" said Reina, as she floored it.

"Uh? HEEHHH!!??" hollered Sakurako as they accelerated. Eventually the Skyline and the 300ZX flanked the blue car.

"Say hello to the Devil Z!" said Reina.

"Devil Z?" remaked a confused Sakurako, who looked at the Fairlady Z S30. First she noticed the driver, a handsome young man. Then she saw the passenger and was greatly surprised. "Kazumi!?!?"

"Eh? Someone you know?"

"Yes! That's my classmate!"

"Hmm, so that's why Akio-kun's been visiting your school. That must be his cousin there he was talking to me about."

"Huh!?" piped a very surprised Sakurako. "Kazumi has a cousin?"

"Looks like I'll be poking Akio-kun about this later on." said Reina.

"Not a bad looking guy. Your boyfriend?"

Reina laughed. "Not exactly, though I have been seeing him a lot, usually around these parts like we the way we are going now."

Sakurako boggled. "You RACE him!?"

"I've always wanted to beat his car since he brought it back from the scrapyard." She noticed the Devil Z's turn signal, indicating it was intending to leave the Wangan by the next exit. She let the blue car go ahead, then followed it to the Ooi exit ramp. The 300ZX followed suit, as the three cars entered the Yokohane line going east. "Looks like he's going back east. Must be heading to your school."

"Soka"

(end BGM)

(Mahora dormitories, 30 minutes later)  
The trio of Nissan sports cars entered the parking lot of the Mahora Dormitories, each taking a parking slot side by side. Everyone got off.

"You alright Misa?" asked Sakurako.

"Yeah, as soon as I take a breather" panted Misa. Reina laughed after hearing Makoto tell her side of the experience.

Sakurako then turned to Kazumi. "And you Kazumi, you never told us about your good looking cousin there."

Kazumi laughed sheepishly. "You never asked. Akio-niisan, these are my classmates, Sakurako Shiina and Misa Kakizaki."

"Domo" said Akio. "Reina-chan, Makoto-san, my cousin Kazumi. Kazumi-chan, Reina Akikawa and Makoto Morishita."

"Hi!" greeted Reina.

"Yo!" greeted Makoto.

"Hmmm? So you've been fooling around with some women these days eh?" teased Kazumi.

"Ehehehe. Actually, we race each other."

"WHAAAAAT!?!?" yelled Kazumi. She then turned to Reina and Makoto. "Not you too?"

Reina and Makoto giggled.

Kazumi sighed. "And I was hoping you'd settle down with a girl by now. Mou!"

"Misa! Sakurako!" called another girl.

"Hey Madoka!" Sakurako called back.

"Hey Kugimin! You missed out on the fun!" said Misa.

A girl with short black hair entered the area. "Really?" remarked Madoka Kugimiya.

"Yeah! We hitched rides with models! Can you believe it?" said Sakurako.

"EHHHH!?" blurted Madoka.

Sakurako made the introductions. Madoka was aghast.

"You- you mean th-they..." stuttered Madoka.

"Calm down Kugimin! We'll tell you all about it at the dorms." said Sakurako.

"Yeah. Anyway we gotta go" said Reina.

"Thanks for the ride!" said Sakurako

"Yeah, thanks!" added Misa.

"Don't mention it!" said Makoto.

"'Nite girls!" said Akio.

"'Nite Akio-niisan!" said Kazumi. "And remember what I told you!"

"Hai hai! Oujousama."

Kazumi glared at him, while Reina and Makoto laughed and the cheerleaders looked confused.

Minutes later the three sports cars drove off into the night. Kazumi and the cheerleaders walked back to the dorms. While the cheerleader trio talked avidly amongst themselves, Kazumi was in deep thought.

'I wonder what Sayo was talking about? I didn't notice anything weird about the Devil Z' Kazumi thought. 'What was she scared of anyway?'

-TBC

* * *

A/N: So now the model girls of Wangan Midnight have made their appearances, along with their cars. I kinda figured they'd get along well with the Mahora cheerleaders, particularly Sakurako and Misa, with the two of them being typical "gals" and all.

Negimafan: Thanks for your interest. Stay tuned for more.

Mariner945: Sorry pal you're the one who's got things all backwards, not to mention "misspelling" the name Asakura. Check Wikipedia - there's an article there about the name Asakura and it's clearly described as a Japanese Surname. In fact I've never seen any instance of the name Asakura being used as a given name. Also, the Japanese writing of Akio Asakura's name can be found in the Wangan Midnight article there was well - the Kanji characters pronounced "Asakura" are identical to those found in the Negima website where Kazumi Asakura's name is written in Japanese (and in both cases, the said Kanji are written first before the given name, which in Akio's case, is written in Katakana). And what's more, I've verified it against the offical Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune Japanese website (hosted by Bandai-Namco, the game's developer) at the Characters section. And lastly, in Episode 2 of the Wangan Midnight anime, Akio introduces himself to Tatsuya and Eriko as "Asakura Akio", which in Japanese naming convention signifies Asakura being his surname and Akio being his given name. As an extra, Eriko Asakura is the sister of Akio Asakura's late namesake. It would be very strange and illogical for siblings to share the same given name while having different surnames.


	5. Chap 4: Those Who Pursue The Devil Z I

Curse of the Devil Z

Kazumi Asakura decides to check on her cousin Akio Asakura. When she learns he drives a blue Nissan Fairlady Z S30 that's tainted with a dark past, Kazumi becomes concerned for him, while Negi senses a dark and frightening presence within the car. Takes place after the Mahora Festival.

Disclaimer: Maho Sensei Negima is property of Ken Akamatsu and all related publishers. Wangan Midnight is property of Michiharu Kusunoki, Kodanshita, OB Planning, and Namco.

* * *

Chapter 4: Those Who Pursue the Devil Z Part 1

(Sunday night, downtown Tokyo)

"Mou! Otousan no baka!"

It was not exactly Yuna Akashi's day. She was looking forward to spending more quality time with her father, Professor Akashi. Following an embarrassing incident where she thought her father was getting it on with a new woman and realizing later on she was a friend of the family, Yuna decided to spend as much time with her father as she could during the summer break. Right after the meeting with the woman, Donnet McGuiness, Yuna and her dad continued on their impromptu date, eventually ending up having dinner at a family restaurant.

Then when she thought things were going get better, they didn't.

While waiting for their dinner to be served, Professor Akashi got an urgent call on his cellphone, and had to leave early. So as not to have the dinner wasted, he suggested Yuna stay and enjoy her dinner, leaving sufficient cash to cover the tab. Before he left, he recalled that a "distant cousin" of Yuna happened to be in the area, and called him to keep her company. After he left, Yuna was simply dismayed.

"Ugh! You're really hopless, dad."

As she waited for dinner to be served, she wondered if something, anything, just might happen, and when nothing did, she just sighed loudly.

"AAAAAGHHHH! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH EVERYTHING!?!?!?" yelled Yuna, startling the other patrons. It agitated her that she was all alone out in the middle of nowhere with nothing interesting to do. For once she truely missed her friends from Mahora.

"(Sigh!) If Makie was here things would not be boring that's for sure."

It was almost as if an hour had passed. As she pondered on what else could go wrong, she heard the door of the restaurant open. She looked up and saw who just came in.

'Hmm? Who's that stud? Is that my distant cousin?' thought Yuna, as she eyed a young man with brown wavy hair and had the appearance of a young rock singer. He looked around, then spotted Yuna and walked towards her table.

"Is that you Yuna-chan?" replied the young man.

"Ah, eto, yeah it's me."

"Nice to see you. Your dad called me to keep you company. Um, may I?" he asked, pointing at the empty seat.

Yuna hesitated at first, then just nodded.

"Thanks" said the young man as he sat down.

"So, um, cousin, um," Yuna started.

"Oh, pardon me. I'm Keiichiro Aizawa. Nice to meet you." said the man.

"Hmm, Keiichiro. Can't seem to recall you from any family gatherings."

"Can't say I blame ya. I've been growing up away from Mahora district, going places at times."

"Yeah yeah."

"Um, is something wrong?"

"Ugh! It's just that my stupid dad had to vanish just when we were gonna have fun." pouted Yuna.

"Well, at least you still have your dad around to be with. You should consider yourself lucky."

"And why should I?"

"I lost my dad years ago. Car accident."

Yuna fell silent. "Oh." she murmured, starting to feel sad.

"Hey it's cool. I'm managing. Oh did I remind you of something?" asked Keiichiro. "Oh darn it I forgot, your mother..."

"Nahh, it's alright." said Yuna. "So what brings you here? Sightseeing?"

"You might say that." replied Keiichiro. "Actually I'm tuning my car."

"Oh?" piped Yuna. "You into racing or something."

"Yes actually, ever since my father was killed. He died during one streetrace when he collided with a drunk driver. Since then, I've wanted to be better than him."

"Woa."

"But these days, I'm racing against a car a friend of mine is driving."

"What's that?"

"Have you heard of the Devil Z?"

Yuna looked upwards while thinking. "Hmm, nope can't say I have."

"They say it's the fastest thing on the highway. Every night my friend takes to the Wangan Expressway and just blazes along."

"Okay, so you want to beat that thing."

"Exactly."

"Well, I guess you're not bad. So what about your car? Is it fast?"

"Hehe I call it the Monster Machine."

Yuna sweatdropped. "Um, okay."

"Maybe if you got a look at it..."

"Hmm, alright. Got nothing else to do anyway."

"Alright then."

They were interrupted by the waiter who served their dinner.

(30 minutes later)

After having dinner and paying the tab, Yuna and Keiichiro went out the door and headed towards the parking area. They approached a white Toyota Supra RZ.

"Well, here she is, the Monster Machine."

"Wow. This looks cool!"

"Pretty little thing isn't she?" said Keiichiro as he unlocked the doors. Then the pair got in the car and buckled up as Keiichiro started the engine, then pulled out of the parking area and drove off through the city streets.

"So how fast does this thing go?" asked a curious Yuna.

"Good question" replied Keiichiro. "Perhaps you'd like to see for yourself?"

(BGM: Love to Rise in the Summer Morning)

"Eh?" piped Yuna. "You're going to..."

They approached an exit ramp, and entered the Wangan Highway. Without warning, Keiichiro shifted gears and stepped on it.

"WAAAHHH!!!!" yelled Yuna as the car lurched forward. Yuna gasped and just tried to get a hold of herself as Keiichiro pushed the Supra along the Wangan Freeway. Soon the car reached 300km/h, passing every other vehicle as if going through an obstacle course, much to Yuna's chargin.

"Having fun yet?" asked Keiichiro sarcastically.

"Says you!" snapped Yuna. "Are you gonna get us both killed!?"

"Don't worry, that hasn't happened yet."

"Yeah right!"

Keiichiro chuckled, then fell silent. "Oh man..."

"What now?"

"It's here." said Keiichiro cryptically.

"What is?" asked Yuna.

"Blackbird"

"Black what?"

"That black car there" said Keiichiro, pointing to the black Porshe they were slowly approaching.

"Wow" murmured Yuna as she took a good look at the car, inwardly admitting it was really sleek looking. As the Supra reached the rear of the Porsche, Yuna tried to look at the passengers, and thought she saw someone familiar. "Hmm? Where have I seen her before?"

"Eh?" remarked Keiichiro. "You know her? Want a better look?" he asked rhetorically as he speed up a bit and manovered towards the right side of the Porsche.

"EHHH!?!? AKO!?" shouted Yuna in surprise. Likewise, Ako, the passenger in the Porsche, looked towards the Supra and was just as surprised to see Yuna on board.

"Friend of yours?"

"Yeah, classmate in fact."

"At this time of night? She's probably being taken home. I guess the Blackbird's driver is not in a mood to race today. Damn."

"EH!?!? You race here!?"

"Yeah, usually. But not tonight. A friend clued me as to whether or not Shima-sensei, the guy who's behind the wheel there in the Blackbird, is up for a race or not. And for tonight, he's not." said Keiichiro. As if on cue, the Blackbird peels off an exit ramp and drives away.

"Woa! You could read him or something?"

"Comes with the territory. Anyway, I think I'll have some fun."

"Wha- what do you mean... YAAAAA!!!" yells Yuna as Keiichiro guns it again, weaving his way around several slower vehicles. After a few hair raising minutes of wildriding, Keiichiro finally eases up and goes up the next exit ramp.

(end BGM)

"Mou! That made me carsick!" ranted Yuna.

"Heheh you did ask how fast my car could go." joked Keiichiro.

"Not in all the TRAFFIC!" snapped Yuna. "And what would have happened if you misjudged one of those slower cars and hit it eh?"

"Okay okay! I'm sorry I scared you. I just couldn't resist."

"Just get me back home!"

"Yeah, sure. Your dad's gonna kill me if he finds out I took you joyriding like a maniac."

"Whatever!"

"At least you're not bored anymore, are you?"

"Hmmph!" snorted Yuna, though inwardly she admitted Keiichiro was right. The ride, while scary, was quite an exciting one, and she forgot about her boredom blues.

(the Akashis' apartment, 40 minutes later)

"Haaahhhh! It's good to be home!" said Yuna, almost collapsing on top of the dining table. As soon as Keiichiro got Yuna back to her apartment, she got off quickly, gave Keiichiro a quick glare, then rushed into her apartment not caring if he would stay over or not, slamming the door behind her. In truth she wasn't particularly mad at Keiichiro. She thought he was a nice looking and fun guy. She just wasn't prepared for the wild ride in his car and was really shaken from it. She decided to apologize to him next time provided he'd drive more carefully if he took her on another ride.

After showering and changing into pajamas, she went to bed. Before sleeping, she wondered what was the deal with all these cars running about: Keiichiro's "Monster Machine", the Devil Z Keiichiro spoke about, and the Blackbird Ako was riding in.

"Hmm, perhaps I'll ask Ako about that car tomorrow morning" murmured Yuna before dozing off.

-TBC

* * *

A/N: The idea of bringing Yuna in contact with Keiichiro and his Supra RZ came from a fanart showing Yuna in Toyota/Panasonic overalls, which I thought was really cool.


	6. Chap 5: Those Who Pursue The Devil Z II

Curse of the Devil Z

Kazumi Asakura decides to check on her cousin Akio Asakura. When she learns he drives a blue Nissan Fairlady Z S30 that's tainted with a dark past, Kazumi becomes concerned for him, while Negi senses a dark and frightening presence within the car. Takes place after the Mahora Festival.

Disclaimer: Maho Sensei Negima is property of Ken Akamatsu and all related publishers. Wangan Midnight is property of Michiharu Kusunoki, Kodanshita, OB Planning, and Namco.

* * *

Chapter 5: Those Who Pursue the Devil Z Part 2

(Monday night, RGO Tuning Shop)

"Wrench!" said Rikako Ota, who happened to be in a prone position underneath a pink Nissan Silvia held about a foot off the floor by a jack rig directly above a dynamometer.

"Here!" replied Madoka Kugimiya, handing the said tool to Rikako.

"Thanks!" replied Rikako in return as she continued her work on her car.

"So how long have you been into these things?" asked Madoka.

"Oh, about 3 years" replied Rikako.

"Soka" murmured Madoka. After hearing those wild stories of street racing and the two models Reina Akikawa and Makoto Morishita from her fellow cheerleaders, Madoka somehow decided to dive in to the world of these high speed cars. She asked around a bit, hearing this and that from her other classmates, particularly the wild rides from Yuna, Ako, and Kazumi. Then a call to one of her relatives revealed that a family friend named Kazuo Ota ran a tuning shop called RGO near Mahora Academy. There she met Kazuo's daughter and assistant Rikako, and decided to be an apprentice. Though the work was hard (she winced at the oil stains), she soon had a good appreciation of what makes a car go fast. "I admit I thought it weird for girls to be into this at first."

"Tell me about it" replied Rikako. "My male classmates from highschool called me a tomboy because of this."

"Oh please. I get treated like a guy sometimes because of my voice, getting called Kugimin and stuff" ranted Madoka. "So when I met Reina Akikawa and Makoto Morishia and learned about their cars I was like 'What the heck?'"

"Yeah. Met them a few times when I visited the other shops." said Rikako. "Okay, that should do it" she said, sliding off from underneath the car. "Could you hit that switch over there please?"

"Sure" replied Madoka, walking over to a control box and pressing a button, causing the Silvia to be lowered onto the dynamometer with its rear wheels resting on a heavy roller.

"Okay, let's start it up" said Rikako, opening the car's door and getting on the driver's seat, then starting it up, before revving it a few times, then shifting into gear and simulating an actual drive, with the rear wheels spinning on the weighted roller.

"Wow. It sure sounds different from before" remarked Madoka.

"Sure does, doesn't it?" replied Rikako. "With the engine running more smoothly, we should get more power out of it - Yes!" she exclaimed, apparently delighted with the readings on a laptop she had with her.

"Okay" replied Madoka.

"Well, were done here. Wanna go out?"

"Hmm, okay. Got nothing else to do."

"Okay then, I'll close up shop then we're off" said Rikako. She then put away all the tools and equipment with Madoka helping her before both changed out of work clothes and cleaned themselves up, then they hopped in to the Silvia and drove off into the city. They stopped by a family restaurant for dinner (the same one Yuna and Keiichiro were the previous day), then took off again. As they reached an exit ramp that led to the Wangan, Rikako then had a fiendish idea. "Say, Madoka?"

"Yeah?"

"Wanna see how fast this car can go?" asked Rikako with the "evil eye" look.

"Eh?" gulped Madoka.

(BGM: Cause You're Different)

Rikako steered through the ramp, then, as they hit the Wangan, she shifted gears, and gunned it.

"EEP!" gasped Madoka, hanging on for dear life as the Silvia barrelled its way along the infamous Wangan, swerving lanes to overtake the slower cars. "RIKAKO!?!?" she yelled.

Rikako just giggled. "Sorry? I didn't hear that." she said sarcastically.

"WILL YOU SLOW DOWN!?!?"

"Relax! I do this all the time."

"No way!" said Madoka with a shaky voice.

"Besides, I'm just getting warmed up."

"Mou!"

"Well, look who's here." said Rikako, eying a white Nissan Skyline GT-R up ahead, running only slightly slower than the Silvia.

"Eh?" piped Madoka. "Hey, I've seen that car before. Wait isn't that..."

"Reina Akikawa's car" said Rikako. "Let's take a closer look" she said as she manouvered her Silvia to line up side by side with the Skyline, on the latter's right.

"Yeah! There she is on the driver's seat. And that's Sakurako with her!" exclaimed Madoka. "That girl!" She looked at the Skyline's passenger, who looked back in surprise, then waved. The driver looked at Rikako and smirked.

"Oh a diehard fan of Reina eh?" remarked Rikako. Then Rikako made a weird hand signal to Reina, who acted as if in thought, then smiled. "Well, time to see who's Queen of the Road!"

"HA!? Wait a minute you're not..." said Madoka, before Rikako gunned it again. "KYAAAA!!!"

The two cars soon burned rubber weaving through the traffic along the Wangan. The Silvia was ahead of the Skyline at the moment, with the Skyline merely keeping pace. As they crossed the main bridge, the cars jumped, startling Madoka and Sakurako.

"RIKAKOOOOOO!!!!" hollered Madoka.

"Come 'on! This is fun!" joked Rikako.

"YOU CALL THIS FUN!?!?"

It was clear the Skyline wasn't making any headway and had no chance of overtaking the Silvia in this run. Reina flashed her headlights in a certain pattern, which Rikako apparently took as a signal by Reina to concede.

"Well I guess Reina's had enough."

"Yokata" sighed Madoka, as Rikako slowed her pace and went off the next exit ramp.

(end BGM)

(5 minutes later at gas station)

"That was a great run there Rikako-chan" said Reina.

"Thanks!" replied Rikako.

"Mou! That was scary!" said Madoka tiredly.

"Yeah! That was faster than Reina did the last time" added Sakurako.

"Hey! I was just getting warmed up back there!" said Reina.

"You've got to be kidding" shuddered Sakurako.

"Hi girls!" said an approaching attendant.

"Akio!" acknowledged Reina.

"EH? Kazumi's cousin?" said Sakurako.

"Hey! Isn't he the guy with the blue car?" asked Madoka.

"You mean the Devil Z? Yes that's him" said Rikako.

"Devil Z?" asked Madoka.

"Say what you girls talking about?" asked Akio.

"Oh, nothing, except your car" said Reina.

"Ah, the Devil Z."

"Yeah. Someday one of our cars will smoke it!" declared Rikako.

"Oh really?"

"Hey! Are you challenging him to one of those dangerous races!?!?" asked an exasperated Madoka.

"Of course!" said Rikako. Madoka paled.

"We've done this a number of times already." said Reina. "It's just that Akio-kun here keeps beating us."

"Ehehehe" laughed Akio sheepishly.

"No way!" said Sakurako.

"Well, I think it's time we got you girls home." said Reina.

"Thank goodness." said Madoka. "And, this time, please drive carefully?"

"Of course." said Rikako. Reina nodded.

"Well, goodnight then ladies!" said Akio. "Till the next race!"

"DON'T SAY THAT YOU JERK!" shouted Madoka.

"Woa woa! Easy there!" said Akio with his hands in front of him.

"Yeah relax Madoka." said Rikako.

"Hmmph!" breathed Madoka.

Soon the girls got in their respective cars and left for the night.

"Not a bad group of girls these Mahora Middle schoolers." remarked Akio. "I wonder of the rest of Kazumi-chan's class is like?"

-TBC

* * *

A/N: Somehow I figured Rikako Ota and Madoka Kugimiya could actually get along well, given a their circumstances that tend to give each of them tomboyish images (eg Madoka's husky voice and short haircut and the one instance in both the Negima Manga and Anime where she [unintentionally] dressed like a boy, then Rikako being a car tuner, something that's traditionally beeb a man's world).

Twilight in Rain:  
Glad you like it. I'll admit it's kinda repetitive at the moment, but the story is still at the stage of introducing its characters. Once all off them are in place, there will be a change in the pace of the story.


	7. Chap 6: Those Who Pursue The Devil Z III

Curse of the Devil Z

Kazumi Asakura decides to check on her cousin Akio Asakura. When she learns he drives a blue Nissan Fairlady Z S30 that's tainted with a dark past, Kazumi becomes concerned for him, while Negi senses a dark and frightening presence within the car. Takes place after the Mahora Festival.

Disclaimer: Maho Sensei Negima is property of Ken Akamatsu and all related publishers. Wangan Midnight is property of Michiharu Kusunoki, Kodanshita, OB Planning, and Namco.

Further Disclaimer: Most of the techical information in this chapter is speculative and is not to be considered factual, especially when considering the Negima universe.

* * *

Chapter 6: Those Who Pursue the Devil Z Part 3

(Tuesday night, Mahora University)

Logic. The one word that encompasses everything in the realm of science and technology. A word that people in the scientific community tend to live by. And a word two people in particular staunchly believe in.

Takayuki Kuroki was one such man. By keeping and analyzing racing data from his Nissan Skyline R33, he knew all of his car's strengths and weaknesses, and took advantage of them. By his own logic of course, he should be unbeatable in a streetrace.

All that fell apart when he encountered the Devil Z. In what came to be his fiercest race ever, he challenged the blue Nissan Fairlady S30Z of Akio Asakura, pushing his Skyline to the limit. But within minutes of the race, his engine blew, and he was devastated. This just was not acceptable to him. His victory over the Blackbird weeks before should have affirmed his car's superiority. Every further attempt to challenge the Devil Z, even after retuning his car, failed. Though he was thankful Akio helped him out by pushing his car with his own to a safe area rather than leave him stranded on the dangerous highway, as well as being consoled and cheered on by his college friend Mikko, it was still unnerving that his car was defeated in the first place. And even thought that incident happened a year ago, he still feels the desire to come out on top.

Seeking answers, he called in a few favors and was referred to a brilliant scientist, or so he heard, in Mahora Academy. An honorary member of Mahora University's Jet Propulsion Club and Robotics Club, her intelligence and ingeniuity were rivaled by few, so the rumors say.

Satomi Hakase was also a firm believer in logic. She proclaimed herself as one who sold her soul to the devil known as science. For her, everything had an explanation. And if it didn't, she would spend an hour straight talking out loud trying to come up with one, like the idea that her creation, and classmate, the gynoid Chachamaru Karakuri, could experience emotions. Still, she remains undeterred in her scientific duties and continually upgrades and enhances her work, spending the night in her laboratory if she has to (in fact, she does so almost everyday).

Meantime, the Skyline driver and independent tuner was making his way to the Mahora Univesity Science labs after parking his car behind the Engineering building. Satomi agreed to meet with him with such enthusiasm he wondered what kind of mad scientist she was. She didn't sound like a professional lady over the phone, but more like a child just entering puberty. Well, Takayuki was just about to find out. He finally made it to the test labs, and soon found a door with Hakase's name on it, and knocked.

"Yes? Who is it?" asked a young girl's voice from inside.

"Hakase-san? It's Takayuki Kuroki. We talked over the phone earlier." said Takayuki.

After a short pause, the door opened, revealing a short girl with black hair tied into a pair of braids, and wearing glasses and a lab coat over a middleschool uniform. Takayuki wondered who this girl was. A middleschooler like her can't be that intelligent enough to run her own science lab, can she? He considered the possibility that she may be Hakase's apprentice. "Um, I'm looking for Satomi Hakase." he said tentatively.

"Well, you're looking at her!" replied the girl with a smile.

Takayuki was slack-jawed. This little girl was the genius Satomi Hakase? 'You've got to be kidding me.' he thought. He was jolted out of his reverie when Satomi talked to him again.

"So, um, Kuroki-san, why don't you come in and make yourself at home?" said Satomi.

"Uh, yeah sure!" he stuttered, then walked into the lab after Satomi opened the door wide for him. 'Make yourself at home? In this kind of place?' he thought as he looked around at the lab, with tables containing stacks of paper, computer terminals, and strange looking machinery, all around the place. A wall full of clocks of all types, one of which had, in the clockface, a picture of Albert Einstein sticking his tongue out, was the coup de grace. 'Just what have I got myself into?' he wondered almost out loud.

"Here, have a seat" said Satomi, pulling a couple of chairs at one table with a laptop on it. Takayuki took one seat, while Satomi took the other. "So you have the data?" she asked.

Takayuki handed her a flash drive. "It's all in here."

"Okay let's see what we have here." said Satomi, plugging the flash drive into the laptop. Her fingers ran furiously over the keyboard, much faster than Takayuki could follow, while the screen flashed many readouts including rapidly scrolling text and cycling charts, also faster than Takayuki could follow, leaving him almost seasick.

After a mere 30 seconds of "analysis", Satomi began speaking again. "Hmm, very good Kuroki-san. But it could do better."

"Huh?" piped Takayuki. "But it's the best I could get. I've pushed the car to the limit."

"And limits are there to be broken!" declared Satomi.

"Hey, I tried that and blew my engine!" protested Takayuki.

"And there are always solutions to such problems!" replied Satomi.

"Like what?" asked Takayuki.

"First, the boost readouts aren't linear enough." said Satomi.

"Eh?" piped Takayuki.

"Here see," noted Satomi pointing to a line chart. "It only kicks in at that RPM, then goes way over the roof as it goes to full throttle which is why you blew your engine on that last race."

"But I need that much boost to get enough power" asked Takayuki.

"Which is in fact overkill for your needs." said Satomi.

"What do you mean?" asked Takayuki.

"Being in the Jet Propulsion Club taught me a lot of stuff." said Satomi. "A turbocharger is not much different than a modern turbojet engine."

"Okay." replied Takayuki.

"I've noted that you've swapped the standard twin-turbo with a bigger model." said Satomi. "Much too big in fact."

"So what do you propose?" asked Takayuki.

"A slightly smaller twin turbo with more rugged parts and that works with a greater power band!" said Satomi. "I can conjure up something just right for your engine!"

"You can?" asked a surprised Takayuki.

"No problem! I've got the tools to rig any machine! Like these..." said Satomi, showing a pair of robot-arms.

Takayuki wondered if she'd really lost a few screws at this point.

"Anyway that's just power. It also has to be well regulated. When was the last time you updated your ECU?" asked Satomi.

"Um, two years ago." said Takayuki.

"Time for an update! Good thing you also saved the ECU's firmware on your disk like I asked you. I'll pass this to a classmate of mine who'll hack this thing real good!" declared Satomi.

Takayuki wanted to just get into a hole and stay there.

"There's also a matter of you car's weight. It's too heavy!" said Satomi.

"But I've already lightened it. Besides, too light and handling becomes a problem!" said Takayuki.

"True. That's where aerodynamics can help." said Satomi.

"How?" asked Takayuki.

"I've noticed you've taken off the wing." noted Satomi.

"Had to, part of the lightening process. Besides, someone who drives an R32 did just that and smoked me!" said Takayuki.

"Hohoho! We'll take care of that another way!" said Satomi. She typed a few things on the laptop, then the screen flashed. On it was a strange looking car that looked more like a private jet combined with a helicopter.

Takayuki blanched. "Hey! I can't drive something like that on the streets!"

"True, after all you're not going to drive at supersonic speeds" said Satomi sheepishly.

Takayuki exhaled while putting his hand on his forhead. "This is getting ridiculous!"

"Hey hey! We're progressing well in fact. Your car won't have to look that way, but I can make it handle as if it was running on rails!" said Satomi.

'Just what is this world coming to!?' thought Takayuki.

(2 minutes later, Mahora Girls' Dormitories)

"Hmm? An email from Satomi!?" said a surprised Chisame Hasegawa. The geek-programmer-with-net-idol-secret-identity was working on her 'Chiu' webpage when her inbox alerted her of the said message. "'Please find newer version or make improvements yourself'. Hey this is some kind of firmware. Nissan RB26DETT? Oh well, at least it's something to do after feeling so empty these past few days." said Chisame as she got to work on the firmware.

(35 minutes later, rear of the Engineering building)

Takayuki was flabbergasted at the makeshift tuning shop Satomi somehow "built" right around his car, which was still parked in the same spot behind the Engineering building. Even more surprising were the machines working on his car. The robot arms looked even more sophisticated than those found in most car assembly lines. He watched as the custom made twin-turbo was installed as if seamlessly in the place of the previous twin-turbo, and parts of the car's body were swapped with new pieces, complete with welding, all being manipulated by Satomi alone with her laptop, which at the same time flashed the car's ECU with a custom version Chisame created (since she couldn't find a "superior" version on the 'net). By the time Satomi was finished, the car looked good as new.

"There!" said Satomi, looking satisfied with her work. "That should do it!"

"Well, I have to say I'm impressed." said Takayuki.

"Well, how about firing her up?"

"Okay" said Takayuki as he got into the driver's seat. Once in he started the car, and revved it. "Wow, that's pretty good!" he said, visibly impressed.

"Now all you need is to take her out for a spin. Meantime, I'll have my friend Chachamaru help you collect data on it."

"Chachamaru?" asked Takayuki.

"Good evening!" said a female voice, whose owner approached Satomi.

"Takayuki Kuroki, this is Chachamaru Karakuri." said Satomi.

Takayuki looked at the young green-haired girl with the pair of strange antenna-like objects on her hair. "Oh hello Karakuri-san! Um, if you don't mind my asking, what are those on her hair?"

"Oh, those are her antennae, used in radio communications" said Satomi.

"Antennae?" asked a confused Takayuki.

"Yes. Part of her functions as a robot." said Satomi with a straight face.

If logic was failing Takayuki early on in his dealings with Satomi, with Chachamaru it was all out the window. "A-a robot!?!?!?" squeaked Takayuki.

"Yes Kuroki-san. As a robot my functions include data gathering and processing. Hence I will assist you in tuning your car." said Chachamaru as she got into the passenger's side of the car. "Oh, and please call me Chachamaru."

Takayuki wasn't sure what to think anymore. First a middleschooler who could not only make outworldish inventions and modify a car, but even have seemingly in-depth knowledge of internal-combustion-engine technology. And now a very humanlike robot!?

"Well, take care when driving! Chachamaru is my best creation so be careful with her, though her real body is currently under maintenance so she's using a temporary body for the moment. Got it?" said Satomi.

Well that took the cake. Not just a robot this Chachamaru was, but one of Satomi's creations as well, and that this form is not her original form. "I'll see to it, Hakase-san." he said almost blankly.

"Shall we go, Kuroki-san?" asked Chachamaru as a cable extended from her right hand into the dashboard of the car. "Interfacing with the ECU now for your information."

"Uh, yes. A-and please call me Takayuki" blurted Takayuki as he backed out of the makeshift shop and drove off into the city. Within minutes he reached his objective, the Wangan Expressway. "How are we doing Chachamaru?"

"All systems normal." replied the robot.

(BGM: Top-Flight Mechanics)

"Well, let's test the improvements" said Takayuki, as he shifted gears, then gunned the throttle. The car's response was immediate, which suprised Takayuki at first. "Wow! The turbo lag seems to have vanished!" he remarked.

"Power output increase 15%" said Chachamaru. "20%... 25%..."

"Hmm, not bad. Not bad at all" said Takayuki. He then manouvered around the slower traffic, which proved easier than before. "Yes. Definitely a good job."

"Power transfer through the drive train is optimal." said Chachamaru.

"Your feedback is noted, Chachamaru" said Takayuki, who began to appreciate Chachamaru's help. "Eh?"

"What is it Takayuki-san?" asked Chachamaru.

"It seems we have company. See that Supra up ahead?" said Takayuki.

Chachamaru looks at the white Toyota Supra RZ running only slightly slower than they are. "Yes I see it. I also note that one of my classmates, Yuna Akashi, is on board."

"Your classmate?" asked Takayuki, wondering how Chachamaru could easily discern her classmate in the Supra from behind, where he himself had virtually no visibility of the Supra's interior.

"Yes." replied Chachamaru.

"Perhaps its time to really put our setup to the test." said Takayuki, flashing the Skyline's headlights. After about ten seconds, the Supra accelerated.

"The Supra has accelerated. Are you going to pursue?" asked Chachamaru.

"Yes indeed!" said Takayuki, shifting gears and flooring it.

"Power output reaching maximum levels" noted Chachamaru.

The chase was on. Both cars weaved their way around the slower traffic while going full tilt when it was clear. It became apparent the Skyline was gaining ground. Soon the Skyline was side-by-side with the Supra for a few seconds, then Takayuki gunned it, bringing his car in front of the Toyota, and kept on going. He noticed the Supra wasn't keeping up with him, and then, as if the Supra's driver was getting the hint, the Supra slowed down and peeled off an exit ramp.

"Hahahaha! I think that was a successful test" said Takayuki. "How's the engine holding up, Chachamaru?"

"Still running at optimum levels. No faults detected" said Chachamaru.

"Excellent! I think we're done here. I'll take you back to Hakase-san." said Takayuki, slowing the car to take the next exit ramp and return to Mahora.

(end BGM)

(30 minutes later, just outside the Engineering building, Mahora University)

"I have to hand it to you Hakase-san" said Takayuki. "My car never ran or handled better than tonight!"

"Glad to be of service!" said Satomi.

"I give you my thanks, as well as to Chachamaru" said Takayuki.

"It was my pleasure to have helped" replied the robot.

"Well, time for me to head home. Good night!" said Takayuki.

"Goodnight!" replied Satomi, as the Skyline pulled out and headed back into the city streets. "Haha! One more satisfied customer."

"That was an interesting car he had. Perhaps I should engage in more of these tests" said Chachamaru.

"Oh really?" said Satomi. "Well in that case, how about that Jet Car I've been working on?"

"Actually, I was considering more conventional cars like Takayuki-san's" said Chachamaru.

(at that moment, along the Yokohane line)

"WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING BACK THERE!?!?" yelled Yuna.

"Hey! The guy challenged me to a race! I always wanted a chance to duel" said Keiichiro. "I just didn't expect to lose so badly"

"Better to lose than get killed!" said Yuna. 'And I was going to apologize to him. Guess he's still got his head screwed all wrong' she thought.

-TBC

* * *

A/N: This chapter proved more challenging to write than I expected, especially coming up with a dialogue between Satomi and Takayuki, whom in my opinion could be considered like-minded people. Much of the technical mumbo-jumbo here is not to be taken as fact as I don't consider myself an expert in turbocharged engine technology (eg I just picked up useful information here and there, especially Wikipedia), especially in the Negima Universe. The scene of Satomi showing Takayuki a picture of the plane-car was just something out of the blue, but after reading it myself I found it quite funny. Also, I was wondering which car/driver to pit against Takayuki's souped-up R33, and I felt the Devil Z itself should wait till later. I eventually decided on Keiichiro and his Supra.

Another thing to note that around this time in the Negima Manga (chapter 175), Chachamaru was in her younger body - the one that somewhat resembled Ku Fei, so Yuna would not have recognized her, hence I decided against letting Yuna see who's riding in the Skyline.


	8. Chap 7: Those Who Pursue The Devil Z IV

Curse of the Devil Z 

Kazumi Asakura decides to check on her cousin Akio Asakura. When she learns he drives a blue Nissan Fairlady Z S30 that's tainted with a dark past, Kazumi becomes concerned for him, while Negi senses a dark and frightening presence within the car. Takes place after the Mahora Festival.

Disclaimer: Maho Sensei Negima is property of Ken Akamatsu and all related publishers. Wangan Midnight is property of Michiharu Kusunoki, Kodanshita, OB Planning, and Namco.

* * *

Chapter 7: Those Who Pursue the Devil Z Part 4

(Earlier at lunchtime, Osaka Metropolitan Area)

"Haaaahh" sighed Konoka Konoe. "Why does grandpa keep doing this to me?"

"I know what you mean." replied Setsuna Sakurazaki.

"Mou! I'm not ready for marriage yet!" exclaimed Konoka. The grandaughter of Mahora's headmaster was once again set up on an omiai by the latter, who still thinks he could find the "perfect match" for her. The results however have so far been less than satisfactory, particularly as far as Konoka was concerened. Even her companion and bodyguard, Setsuna, was feeling the strain. This latest stunt ended bringing the pair all the way to Osaka (which was well within the jurisdiction of the Kansai Magic Association), at a family restaurant along the Hanshin Expressway. Konoka was even dressed for the occassion, wearing a traditional kimono.

"True indeed, even if the headmaster means well." replied Setsuna.

"Even if he promised this guy was going to be closer to my age, I'm not giving him the time of day!" said Konoka.

"Well, let's at least be nice to him, if he's that young." said Setsuna.

"Yeah yeah!" said Konoka. Their banter was interrupted by the entrance of two young men.

"Uh, I don't know about this niisan." said the younger of the two. "I mean, I have little experience with girls."

"Don't sweat it Maki" replied the older. "Just talk to her. You'll be fine."

"Oh alright" replied the boy named Maki. Eiji and Maki Kamiya were a pair of brothers engaged in car tuning, and were both natives of Osaka. Interestingly, they were contacted by the Konoe family through a few connections, and Maki was chosen in the omiai with Konoka (hence their venue of meeting), with Eiji acting as the nakodo (matchmaker), hence Eiji was given all information about Konoka, including her picture.

"Hey Maki! There she is!" said Eiji, pointing to where Konoka and Setsuna were seated.

"Eh?" replied Maki, taking a good look at Konoka. 'Well, she looks pretty.' he thought as he and Eiji approached the girls.

"Huh?" gasped Konoka, checking out Maki. 'He is kind of cute... kyaaa! What am I thinking!?' thought Konoka, trying to hide her blush.

"Ojyou-sama, daijoubu!?" asked a concerned Setsuna.

"Eh? A-ah, yeah! I'm okay! It's nothing" said Konoka quickly.

"Um, pardon me, but are you Konoka Konoe?" asked Eiji.

"Ah, well, yes!" said Konoka.

"I'm Eiji Kamiya. This is my brother Maki, who's supposed to meet you." said Eiji.

"Uh, domo" said Maki almost shyly.

"Domo" replied Konoka. "Ah, this is my companion Setsuna."

"Konnichiwa!" greeted Setsuna.

"Hey Maki! Come'on!" whispered Eiji.

"Uh, may we?" asked Maki.

"Oh, uh, please do" replied Konoka.

(9 hours later, approaching the Wangan)

Lunch was a rather quiet affair, with Eiji doing most of the talking. In a nutshell, Konoka just tried to grin and bear with the omiai, while Maki had difficulty even talking, especially under the watchful eye of Setsuna. After lunch and dessert, the girls decided to head back to Mahora. Since the brothers were on their way to Tokyo to spend the summer break there, they offered the girls rides. Each of the boys had a race-tuned Lancer Evolution, so they were paired such that Setsuna rode with Eiji while Konoka rode with Maki. This was Eiji's idea to try and get Maki to open up a little, though it took a lot of convincing to get Setsuna to agree to such arrangement, plus Konoka decided to sleep for most of the ride. Fortunately, Maki made a little progress when Konoka woke from her nap realizing they were still a long ways away from Mahora, and they got caught in traffic.

"So how did you end up with a 10-year old as an English teacher?" asked Maki.

"Ehehe, somehow it was arranged that way, and the dean, my grandfather of course, was part of it." said Konoka.

"I still find that hard to believe. Even if he's from Wales, he sure is quite young to have finished college."

"Surprising isn't it? In fact he's also quite a fighter."

"Really?"

"Yeah! There was this fighting tournament, and he finished second overall! He even beat one of our other teachers."

Maki was surprised. "That good huh?"

"Yeah!" said Konoka. She then checked the time. "Oh my! Asuna's going to be worried about me being out so late!"

"Is that so?" said Maki. He then noticed they reached the exit ramp to the Wangan Expressway. "We're about to hit the Wangan. I'll speed up so I can get you home fast."

(BGM: Feel The Moment)

"Eh?" piped Konoka.

Maki made it through the exit ramp. Once he reached Wangan, he shifted gears and hit the throttle.

"KYAAA!!!" yelped Konoka as the car lurched forward, soon reaching 300 km/h.

(in the other Lancer Evolution)

"Hey! What's he doing!?" exclaimed Setsuna. "Ojou-sama might get hurt!"

"Don't worry, Maki knows what he's doing" said Eiji, who also gunned it.

"EEP!" gapsed Setsuna. "What the hell??"

"You thought we were joking about racing along the Wangan?" said Eiji.

(in Maki's car)

For a moment Konoka was panicking. This was the first time she rode so fast in a small car. She then looked at Maki. His determined look surprised her.

'Eh?' thought Konoka. 'Somehow he reminds me of Negi-kun when he's fighting. Ack! What am I thinking again!?'

Konoka quickly turned away after feeling her face burn up. She wondered what she felt at that moment. Was she somehow attracted to Maki?

'No way! I don't feel that way towards him!' Konoka told herself. 'It's just the ride. Yeah that's it!' "EEK!" yelped Konoka as she felt the car move as they manourvered around some slower cars.

"Daijoubu?" asked Maki.

"Ah, eh, yeah! I'm fine! Ehehehe!" said Konoka quickly, putting a smile on her face.

"Hmm, okay" replied Maki, keeping his full attention to the road.

Konoka turned away again after hearing Maki's reply. Her mind was swimming with those strange thoughts and her heart was pounding. She decided to just keep quiet, ignoring the night lights flashing by and the road skimming below them as they sped along the Wangan.

After about 15 minutes of high speed running, Maki finally slowed down to reach the exit ramp that would take them to Mahora Academy.

(end BGM)

"We're almost there" said Maki.

"EH!?" gasped Konoka, jolted out of her reverie.

(10 minutes later, Mahora Dormitories Parking Area)

"Haaah. That was quite a ride!" said Konoka.

"Told you I'd get you here fast." said Maki.

"Ojou-sama, daijoubu?" asked a worried Setsuna.

"Um, I'm okay Se-chan" replied Konoka cheerfully.

"See? Nothing to worry about." said Eiji.

"So where will you two go now?" asked Konoka.

"We'll be staying at a friend's place around here" said Eiji.

"Okay. Se-chan and I will be turning in now. Goodnight guys!" said Konoka.

"Oyasumi!" said Setsuna.

"Goodnight ladies!" said Eiji.

"Goodnight, Konoe-san" said Maki.

Setsuna looked carefully at Maki, which made him a little uneasy. She and Konoka then proceeded towards the dorms.

"Not bad there bro!" said Eiji.

"I don't know." said Maki. "I think I kinda like her though."

-TBC

* * *

A/N: This was another challenging chapter to write. Since I have very little information about the Kamiya brothers other than what's known from the game (eg their ages and occupations, or if Maki's in school, or if Maki might already be taken), trying to come up with a good conversation between them and Konoka and Setsuna was difficult. The main thing about bringing these people together was the fact that all come from the Kansai area, but in different cities, so I thought this might be an interesting idea. I don't intend to have anything develop between Konoka and Maki, so KonokaxSetsuna fans don't have to worry (besides, I'm sure Maki's much more interested in cars than girls).

Another thing. Actually playing and listening to the soundtrack I suggested for this chapter (Feel the Moment) actually helped.

RyoTheSaiyan:  
So far the Wangan Midnight anime is up to episode 12, just after Keiichiro and his Supra RZ make their first appearance (and first challenge against the Devil Z and Blackbird), and it's in this episode where the RGO crew and Gatchan are introduced.


	9. Chap 8: Those Who Pursue The Devil Z V

Curse of the Devil Z

Kazumi Asakura decides to check on her cousin Akio Asakura. When she learns he drives a blue Nissan Fairlady Z S30 that's tainted with a dark past, Kazumi becomes concerned for him, while Negi senses a dark and frightening presence within the car. Takes place after the Mahora Festival.

Disclaimer: Maho Sensei Negima is property of Ken Akamatsu and all related publishers. Wangan Midnight is property of Michiharu Kusunoki, Kodanshita, OB Planning, and Namco.

* * *

Chapter 8: Those Who Pursue the Devil Z Part 5

(Wednesday, Late afternoon, at a TV Studio in Tokyo)

"That's all for today folks!" said Reina in front of the TV camera while a jazzy track played in the background.

"Next week, we'll cover the story of the rumored GT-R concept car that will supposedly come out in 2007." said her male companion.

"Goodbye!" greeted Reina, before she and her companion stood up.

"Drive, Go Go!" said the pair, waving a hand each in front of them while forming L-shapes with their thumbs and index fingers as the music track came to its conclusion and was silenced.

"Aaaand, cut!" said the director. "Alright! Good job everyone!"

(1 hour later)

"Well, I'll see you Reina-chan!" said Reina's co-host from the earlier TV shooting, Koichi Kijima.

"Yeah! See you tomorrow!" replied Reina as she exited the building.

After Koichi was left alone in the lobby, he went upstairs to his office. Being a professional TV personality obviously had its quirks. Koichi could meet all kinds of important people, from his co-host Reina Akikawa to other media people like Ishida Yoshiaki, and since his show is centered on motoring, professional tuners like Kazuo Ota. Little does the media hungry public know about Koichi's more reclusive activities. On his desk was large brown envelope sent to him from an overseas contact, containing information that was acquired at the request of a high profile individual, one Ayaka Yukihiro, heiress of the Yukihiro Zaibatsu, and Class representative of Mahora Girls Middle School Class 3A. The lengths it took to get this information would put the papparazzi to shame.

Koichi sat by his desk and quickly checked the contents of the envelope. Feeling satisfied, he was about to make a phone call when the phone rang first.

"Hello? Koichi Kijima speaking" he said answering the phone.

"Mr. Kijima? You have a visitor. Miss Yukihiro." said the receptionist on the other end.

"Ah. Good. I was just about to call her. Ask her to meet me at the cafeteria please."

"Yes sir. click!"

(5 minutes later, the studio cafeteria)

"Ah! Kijima-san!" called a blonde teenage girl just at the entrance to the area.

"Good afternoon, Yukihiro-sama!" greeted Koichi. "Shall get something to eat?"

"Sure!" replied the girl, Ayaka Yukihiro.

The two purchased some light snacks then took a table.

"I have the information you requested" said Koichi, handing Ayaka the brown envelope.

"Arigato!" said Ayaka, checking its contents. "I understand this took quite a bit of effort to obtain."

"Sure did. Had to call a few favors, including Interpol." said Koichi.

"I know how busy you are Kijima-san, but this is really important to me." said Ayaka with a concerned look.

"Not too much of a bother, Yukihiro-sama." said Koichi. "Are my suspicions correct?"

"I don't know yet." said Ayaka. "But I have a hunch about it. If he really did what I thought he did..." she started, but trailed off.

"Hey, it's alright." said Koichi. "If the boy really is your long lost and supposedly dead brother, you should be happy."

"I know." replied Ayaka, almost in tears. "If things could just have been different..."

"Sometimes we all wish for something can't have." said Koichi. "But we've got to live on with what we have now."

"Yes." said Ayaka. "I just want to shower him with the love of a good older sister. But since he doesn't know..."

"It's painful. But we don't know how he'll take it. And of course there's the reaction of the rest of your class" said Koichi. "Right now you can just be there for him."

"I already am." said Ayaka. "I'm sorry for getting all emotional like this."

"It's alright." said Koichi.

The conversation took well into the night, and the two ended up also having dinner. Afterwards Ayaka decided to head home.

"Yukihiro-sama, may I suggest I take you home?" said Koichi. "Your own limousine might take a while to get here. Besides, your home is along my route anyway."

"I guess I'll be taking you up on your offer, Kijima-san" replied Ayaka.

(Parking Garage)

"Not a bad car you have here Kijima-san" said Ayaka, looking at the Mazda RX-7 Koichi approached and unlocked.

"It's the best car in my opinion." said Koichi, opening the passenger door for Ayaka.

"Thanks" said Ayaka, taking her seat.

Koichi closed the door and went around to take the driver's seat. He started it up, revved it a few times, then drove out of the parking area and into the city streets. Soon they reached the Wangan.

"Sometimes I forget how amazing the view of the city is from here." said Ayaka looking at the passign cityscape.

"Sure is."

Ayaka continued staring at the city, but her view was suddenly obscured by a red Skyline GT-R. Its passengers grinned goofily and leered at Ayaka as its side window opened. "Ugh! Such creeps."

"Just let them be. They'll get bored after awhile." said Koichi. "Eh?" he muttered, as he noticed the GT-R nudging towards his own car. "That's cutting it real close!" he said, switching to the right lane. The GT-R followed suit, as if to deliberately sideswipe the RX-7. "So, he wants to play huh?" said Koichi.

(BGM: Total Terror)

"I think we should get away from these creeps!" said Ayaka.

"Just what I had in mind!" said Koichi. "Hang on!" he said, gunning the throttle.

"I hope you know what you're doing!" exclaimed Ayaka.

"Daijoubu! I've done this before." said Koichi. The RX-7 soon reached top speed and was screaming down the Wangan. The GT-R tailed them.

"They're still behind us!" said Ayaka.

"If those are the same guys Asakura-san dealt with before, they sure haven't learned their lesson!" said Koichi.

"Asakura?" said Ayaka in confusion.

"Oh, the driver of the Devil Z. Akio Asakura" said Koichi.

"Ah, come to think of it, I've heard that name from a classmate of mine. Oh yeah, he must be related. They're both Asakura" said Ayaka, referring to her classmate Kazumi.

"Hmm." hummed Koichi. He then noticed the GT-R suddenly gain a burst of speed. "The GT-R must be using Nitro injection!"

"Huh!" gasped Ayaka, as the GT-R swept around on the left lane and overtook the RX-7. "Oh my!"

"Heh! So they think they've won?" said Koichi. "They have another thing coming!" As if on cue, a truck-trailer just ahead suddenly swerved, getting in the way of the GT-R. The GT-R braked suddenly then fishtailed, before spinning to the right, and hitting the freeway barrier on the right side before being lifted into the air still in a flat spin - right in front of the RX-7.

"LOOK OUT!!!" yelled Ayaka.

"HOLD ON!" spat Koichi, stepping on it and passing the haplessly spinning GT-R at just the right time, leaving the stricken car in the dust.

"That was close." said Ayaka. "Good drive."

"Thanks!" said Koichi. "At least we're still running."

"Yeah."

(end BGM)

"Hmm, thanks to that run we're already there much earlier than I planned." said Koichi.

"Oh, you're right!" said Ayaka.

(5 minutes later, Yukihiro Manor)

"Thanks for the ride Kijima-san!" said Ayaka. "Perhaps you'll like to stay for a bit and have some tea?"

"Don't mention it." said Koichi. "I'd love to hang out for awhile, but I've got to get going."

"Oh." piped Ayaka. "Well, take care then!"

"Will do." said Koichi. "Goodnight!" he said, getting into his car.

"Night!" answered Ayaka, as Koichi drove the car down the Manor's main causeway and out the gate. "Hmm." hummed Ayaka as she went into deep thought. "Negi-sensei, are you really my long lost younger brother?" she asked herself as she looked at the brown envelope.

-TBC

* * *

A/N: How's that ending? That was an idea that somehow kicked into my mind after thinking things over, particularly Negi's age and the day Ayaka's younger brother was supposed to be born. Looks like a coincidence, but the idea that hit my mind was this: could Negi actually be Ayaka's supposedly dead brother, but was spirited away by Nagi with the false news of being stillborn as a move to keep Negi safe? Whether or not Nagi was also Ayaka's father didn't occur to me (eg perhaps Nagi had an illicit affair with Ayaka's mother resulting in Negi's birth). Of course that is still up to speculation, but it would give Ayaka a really good reason to go and carry on the investigation of Nagi Springfield.

The chase with the red GT-R and the resulting accident was based on a similar event in episode 4 of the Wangan Midnight anime. Let's just say those two in the GT-R didn't learn from their mistake last time when they tangled with the Devil Z.

Also, the "Concept GT-R" talked about in the show mentioned in this chapter in fact refers to the prototype of what would eventually be the Nissan GT-R (R35) released in Japan at the end of 2007.


	10. Chap 9: The Devil Zs Foreign Competition

Curse of the Devil Z

Kazumi Asakura decides to check on her cousin Akio Asakura. When she learns he drives a blue Nissan Fairlady Z S30 that's tainted with a dark past, Kazumi becomes concerned for him, while Negi senses a dark and frightening presence within the car. Takes place after the Mahora Festival.

Disclaimer: Maho Sensei Negima is property of Ken Akamatsu and all related publishers. Wangan Midnight is property of Michiharu Kusunoki, Kodanshita, OB Planning, and Namco.

* * *

Chapter 9: The Devil Z's Foreign Competition

(Thursday, Late Evening, Wangan Expressway)

A trio of Skyline GT-R R33's drove in formation, as if on patrol, along the Wangan. These three cars have been the bane of a number of car tuners who were unfortunate to have run into them - being challenged by them often meant defeat, and lately the trio have been using dangerous tactics to maintain their victories. Fortunately a few special personalities and their cars turned the tables on them, causing them great grief and putting them on a thirst for blood.

They are the infamous R200 Club.

Once thought to have disbanded a year ago after their defeat by the Devil Z, the Blackbird, and the Reina-R, they caught everyone by surprise by appearing again, and to everyone's horror, more dangerous than ever.

"See anything out of the ordinary?" said the driver of the car on the left of the group, one known as Ryoichi "JAPAN" Teizuka, through his mobile phone, which was in conference call with those of the other two drivers, and all of them used hands-free kits so they could keep driving.

"None so far" replied the driver of the car on the opposite side, known as Yasuo "CCR" Motoki.

"Keep driving you two" said the driver of the lead car, Jun "JPP" Sonoda. "We'll find what we're looking for."

"After those sluts humiliated us, I just can't wait to kick butts!" growled Teizuka, who recalled their humiliating defeat in what became a 3 vs 3 match against Reina Akikawa, Makoto Morishita, and Rikako Ota. Being beaten by girls in an all out race was just not acceptable for him.

"Yeah! The bitches!" added Motoki.

"Quiet you two!" snapped Sonoda. "You'll get your chance soon enough. Right now" he paused, looking ahead a one particular car. "We've got another gaijin car to deal with."

"At last!" said Motoki.

(200 meters ahead)

A Dodge Viper convertible was speeding along the Wangan at a very sedate pace. Its passengers were unaware of the three Skylines closing in on their car.

"At least he managed to finish high school" said the passenger, Rumi Shimada, who was Akio Asakura's former homeroom teacher.

"That's good to hear" replied the car's driver and owner, Takamichi Takahata of Mahora Academy.

"I still can't believe how he used to skip classes just to tinker with his car so he could drive it on this very stretch of road" said Rumi.

"I admit it's tempting" said Takamichi. "But it's very dangerous. What was his car again?"

"He called it the Devil Z" said Rumi.

"Interesting." said Takamichi, who then glanced at his rear view mirror. "Hmm?"

"What is it?" asked Rumi.

"I see three cars driving together coming up behind us." said Takamichi.

"Eh?" piped Rumi, who looked behind and saw the three Skylines rapidly approaching. "They're coming rather fast."

"I have a bad feeling about this" said Takamichi. His suspicions were correct when two of the Skylines flanked his Viper, and then closed in seemingly trying to sandwich his car.

(BGM: Decoration for the Dement)

"What are they doing!?" yelped Rumi.

"Whatever it is, they're up to no good!" said Takamichi, shifting gears and flooring it. The Viper's V10 engine roared as the car accelerated quickly, leaving the Skylines behind before they followed suit.

"They're chasing us!" exclaimed Rumi.

"Indeed. Looks like an impromptu street race." said Takamichi.

"You're kidding!" whimpered Rumi.

"Afraid not! Hang on!" said Takamichi as he snaked around the slower traffic.

The R200 club aggressively followed the Viper hell bent on not letting the American car escape. The frontmost Skyline managed to come up close to the Viper on its left. In response the Viper accelerated again, going around a slower car on its right side then moving directly in front. A second Skyline followed from behind and managed to come abreast of the Viper on its right. Once again the Viper accelerated, getting slightly ahead of the Skyline, but couldn't shake it. The first Skyline also came alongside the Viper on its left.

"They're very persistent!" barked Takamichi.

"Can't you do something?" pleaded Rumi.

"They're fast! I can't shake them!" replied Takamichi.

"Oh my!" piped Rumi, as she noted that they were approaching a slow truck.

Thinking quickly, Takamichi hit the brakes hard while keeping the wheel straight so as not to send the Viper into a spin. The flanking Skylines surged ahead, then tried to brake. Then Takamichi shifted and revved hard, pushing the Viper ahead of the Skylines, and manouvered around the truck on its left. The two Skylines tried to follow suit, but made the mistake of accelerating at the same time into the single lane at the truck's left. In a panic, the right Skyline brakes hard, throwing itself into a spin. The first Skyline couldn't avoid its sibling, and was subsequently sideswiped, and both cars came to a screeching halt.

"Oh God!" shivered Rumi.

"That was too close!" said Takamichi.

"Those idiots!" grumbled Sonoda, as he narrowly avoided his teammates and continued to pursue the Viper. "If you have to do something right you gotta do it yourself!"

"There's still one more!" said Rumi.

"Looks like he won't give up without a fight" said Takamichi, flooring it.

The remaining R200 Skyline relentessly pursued the Viper, both cars weaving around the slower traffic. Sonoda managed to come close to the Viper, but had to back off when the Viper squeezed between two slower cars that came together in front of him. He went around the traffic and managed to catch up to the Viper again.

"Just what does he want!?" cried Rumi.

"Apparently these guys just want to own the road or something!" said Takamichi. "I heard of these guys from a friend. Some group called the R200 Club! They'll take on anyone who gets in their way by hook or by crook! I thought they disbanded a year ago. I guess I was mistaken."

Rumi shuddered.

Sonoda's Skyline was now abreast of Takamichi's Viper, positioned on the left side. They seemed evenly matched, with neither car gaining an advantage. Sonoda knew he was at his limit, but his pride wouldn't let him back down. He didn't realize it, but his pride would soon be his downfall.

Takamichi kept the Viper on a straight line to keep its stability at 330 km/h. This was as fast as he could go, and thus he couldn't shake the Skyline. Then he saw an opportunity. In a daring move, he nudged towards the Skyline, and its driver reacted moving a little to the left. The Skyline's driver was so distracted he did not notice the roadblock on the left lane they were rapidly approaching.

"OH SHIT!!!" yelled Sonoda, only noticing the road block meters ahead. He braked hard, which proved to be a huge mistake. As the Viper fled, the Skyline fishtailed wildly, and was spun towards a right angle to the road, its left side slamming into the roadblock.

(end BGM)

"Oh thank goodness" sighed Rumi.

"I'm glad that's over." said Takamichi, finally letting up on the throttle and slowing to a sedate pace. "Are you alright?" he asked with concern.

"I'm okay, just a little shaken." said Rumi. "Riding with the wind blowing so hard in my face was just... overwhelming."

"I'll take you home if you want." said Takamichi.

"Yeah I'd like that" said Rumi.

They were interrupted by another car blowing its horn in a familiar pattern.

"Eh?" piped Rumi.

"Hey it's Kochan!" said Takamichi, noticing the Mazda RX-7 Savanna approaching from behind, apparently from an exit ramp they passed, with its driver's side window opening.

"Hey Takahata-sensei!" called Kochan Takahashi from the RX-7.

"Yo!" Takamichi greeted back.

"You're a sight for sore eyes" said Rumi.

"What? Something happened?" asked Kochan.

"Got a run-in with the R200 Club." said Takamichi.

"Oh geez, those jerks again?" remarked Kochan. "So rumors of their disbanding was just wishful thinking."

"Anyway I'm taking Rumi home." said Takahata.

"Hey! Allow me! No offense Takahata-sensei but I think she'll be more comfortable in my car after what you guys been through." suggested Kochan.

"Yeah I think you're right. What do you think Rumi?" asked Takamichi.

"Much as I'd like to chat with you some more, I admit I'd feel safe in a closed car for now" said Rumi.

"As you wish" said Takamichi. "We'll pull over at a rest area so you can get into Kochan's car."

"Thanks" replied Rumi.

-TBC

* * *

A/N: I had not originally intended to introduce Takamichi Takahata this soon, but a request from an enthusiastic reader made me reconsider. I admit it's really tough trying to imagine the chase scene and thinking about how cars would behave realistically, like how exactly a street car will react to hard braking from running at 300km/h, ABS or not. So basically I again referred to the chase scene in the anime I used in an earlier chapter.

Also, I'm not absolutely certain about the modus-operandi of the R200 Club when street racing. I just know they're supposedly dangerous and wreckless (eg in the manga when they raced against the Blackbird, Teizuka tried to physically block Tatsuya's car only to collide with Motoki), and so I just tried to visualize what they might do. And lastly, I have no idea about Takamichi Takahata's driving skills since he was never portrayed in the manga engaging in any high speed driving, but the fact that he owns a Dodge Viper of all cars would indicate he would know the capabilities of such car.


	11. Interlude: Summer Fun

Curse of the Devil Z

Kazumi Asakura decides to check on her cousin Akio Asakura. When she learns he drives a blue Nissan Fairlady Z S30 that's tainted with a dark past, Kazumi becomes concerned for him, while Negi senses a dark and frightening presence within the car. Takes place after the Mahora Festival.

Disclaimer: Maho Sensei Negima is property of Ken Akamatsu and all related publishers. Wangan Midnight is property of Michiharu Kusunoki, Kodanshita, OB Planning, and Namco.

* * *

Interlude - Summer Fun

(Saturday Morning, RGO Tuning Shop, administration office)  
(BGM: Driver's Delight)

"So this is where you've been hanging around these past few days, eh Madoka?" commented Sakurako.

"Yeah" replied Madoka.

"Who'd have thought you of all people would work in a shop like this" said Misa.

"Well, it was partly because of you girls" said Madoka.

"Oooh, jealous we met a couple of models?" teased Sakurako.

"Eh, no, it's not that" stuttered Madoka.

"Oh please, we can read it all over your face Kugimin" said Misa.

"I told you stop calling me that!" snapped Madoka.

"Hey girls" called Rikako just entering the area with snacks. "Hope you're all hungry!"

"Thanks Rikako!" replied Sakurako. "Wow! Crepes!"

"Hehehe. Your friend told me about the stuff you like so I ordered takeout" said Rikako. Madoka laughed rubbing the back of her head.

"Cool!" said Misa. They were interruped by the front door opening.

"Rikako? You here?" called Reina, who just walked in with Makoto.

"Hi Reina! Oh, have a snack!" replied Rikako.

"REINA!" greeted Sakurako.

"MAKOTO!" called Misa.

"Well, well. Having a party here Rikako?" joked Makoto.

"Oh, just having friends over." said Rikako.

"Cool!" said Makoto. "Oh I was going to ask you to check something out in my car, but..."

"Sure! What's the matter?" asked Rikako.

"Oh, no rush!" said Makoto. "Besides, I haven't had a good Crepe in a long time" she said, taking one of the Crepes. "and some girl-talk too."

"Of course!" said Reina.

"Oh yeah! Ako sure took off early today." said Sakurako. "I was hoping she'd join us here."

"I guess she got uptight ever since we pulled that little gag on her" snickerd Misa. "Geez, she should lighten up a bit and be a little more daring."

"Eh?" piped Reina. "What happened last night?"

"Oh, we just played a little dress up with her and took pictures" said Madoka. "Then we sent them to this boy she really liked!"

"Oh?" piped Makoto curiously.

"Yeah! A cousin of our english teacher. His name's Nagi Springfield. He's a hottie!" said Sakurako.

"Really?" asked Reina.

"Yeah! Ako's really got the hots for him." said Misa. "We dressed her up in various outfits to make her look pretty. But her fashion sense was kinda, plain."

"So what'd you do to her?" asked Rikako.

"We knocked her out and put this bunny suit on her!" said Sakurako.

"Bunny suit!?" gasped Makoto.

"Yeah! That should knock Nagi-san's socks off!" said Misa.

"Uh, isn't that a little much?" asked Reina with a sweatdrop. "I mean, I wear bathing suits yes, but even I wouldn't go prancing around in -that- thing."

"Eh?" asked Sakurako. "Don't all models were it?"

"Um, usually porn models do." said Makoto. "Not us though."

The cheerleaders looked at the models with confused faces.

(Meanwhile, at the hospital of Tatsuya)

"You didn't have to come here today, Izumi-kun" said Tatsuya.

"Uh, well, I kinda wanted to get away from a few mischievous friends since they embarrassed me last night, Sensei." said Ako, rubbing the top of her head.

"Does that bump on your head have anything to do with it?" asked Tatsuya.

"Yeah" replied Ako weakly.

Tatsuya decided not to pry any further. "Here, I'll have it treated for you."

(That moment, at another tuning shop)

"So what are you getting from here Kei-kun?" asked Yuna. She and Keiichiro were just outside a tuning shop well known for its accessories for Toyota cars, as well as its rather eccentric owner.

"Just a few accessories for the car." replied Keiichiro. "The owner may be a bit off, but he gives excellent deals. He even helped tune my car."

"Really?" said Yuna. "Well in that case... eh? Makie-chan!?" exclaimed Yuna as she saw a familiar friend just outside the shop's door.

"Eh? Yuna-chan!!" called Makie Sasaki, Yuna's classmate, and member of Mahora's Rhythmic Gymnastics Club. "Hi Kei-kun!"

"Yo!" replied Keiichiro.

"Hey what are you doing here?" asked Yuna. "Aren't you getting ready for the Gymnastics Tournament?"

"Yeah." replied Makie. "In fact my uncle's gonna take me there." she said as she opened the door.

"Eh? Your uncle?" asked Yuna.

"Ah, good morning." greeted a man with a bomberhead hairstyle and a somewhat excitable voice. "MAKIE-CHAN!!!" he yelled excitedly.

"UNCLE GATCHAN!!!" replied Makie gleefully, leaping at the man and getting into a hugging and facerubbing session.

Yuna and Keiichiro stared and sweatdropped at the "bonding" spectacle. The uncle and niece pair were clearly excited to be together, engaging in various antics such as head patting, pat-a-caking, and doing a ring-around-the-rosy. Then they stopped to face their bewildered audience.

"Yuna-chan, this is my uncle, Gen Sasaki, but everyone calls him Gatchan." said Makie.

"Ah, domo." said Yuna.

"I see the family resemblance" commented Keiichiro.

"Ha!? Aisawa-san? You pimping some younger girls now?" asked a surprised Gatchan. "Even my beloved niece!?"

"WHAAAT!?" exclaimed Yuna.

"Hey! This my cousin! And your niece is her friend!" explained an exasperated Keiichiro.

"Yes, uncle Gatchan!" said Makie.

"Ah! Gomen! Gomen!" Gatchan apologized profusely.

"Maybe you should tell me more about that host club you're in." said Yuna, glaring at Keiichiro.

"Ah, Yuna-chan... no. That's..." stuttered Keiichiro. "I mean I don't work there anymore!"

Makie sighed with a defeated look on her face. 'Uncle Gatchan hasn't changed a bit' she thought.

(Later in the Afternoon, at the Tokyo Big Sight)

"Gosh it's crowded here" remarked Maki Kamiya.

"Comes with the territory buddy" said Eiji to his brother. "You've got to bear with it when it comes to girls."

"I don't know." said Maki. "The stuff they sell here is kinda weird." He was still feeling a bit sick after reading a yaoi doujin shown to him by Konoka's classmate Haruna Saotome.

"Well, yeah that's true" said Eiji.

"Just what do fans of this stuff see in them?"

"Kinda like how we're into cars?"

Maki paused. "Hmm, come to think of it, yeah you're right big brother."

"Oh man, what's Miss Konoe looking at there?" asked Eiji, pointing out Konoka and her friends looking at another doujin and acting as if she saw a horror flick.

"Uh, maybe she oughta just get rid of it?" asked Maki.

"Good idea!" said Eiji, pushing Maki towards Konoka. "That's your job as a gentleman!"

"Ah- Hey wait!" protested Maki.

(end BGM)  
(Evening, at an intersection somewhere in Tokyo)

"It's been a while since we last visited this place" said Kazuo Ota, Rikako's father, looking at closed off driveway under a flyover.

"Indeed." said Kazuhiko Yamamoto, another shop owner, and one who exclusively tunes Reina Akikawa's car.

"He sure is late" said a third shop owner, welding expert Yuichi Takagi, owner of Body Shop Sunday.

"Yeah, but here he comes now" said Kazuhiko, eyeing the Dodge Viper approaching, followed by a Mazda RX-7 Savanna. Both cars parked nearby, and their drivers, along with a young boy who rode in the Viper's passenger seat, emerged approaching the two men waiting for them.

"Yo!" greeted Takahata.

"Konbanwa!" greeted Kochan.

"Greetings Senseis, Kochan" greeted Kazuo. "I presume this is something of great urgency?"

"Yes indeed." said Takamichi. "The magic community has raised an alert, and we need to deal with it soon."

"And what is it we have to deal with?" asked Kazuhiko.

"The Devil Z" said Kochan.

"What are we on to?" asked Takagi.

"Explain it to them, Negi-sensei" said Takahata to the boy with him.

"Hai!" said the boy, Negi Springfield.

(That moment, at an alley a few blocks away)

Tatsuya Shima got off his Porsche after parking it in a well secluded area. He was waiting to meet with someone. That person arrived 5 minutes later.

"Greetings Setsuna Sakurazaki" said Tatsuya to the newcomer.

"It's been awhile Sensei" replied Setsuna.

"I know it's late in the evening, but time is of the essence." said Tatsuya. "IT is beginning to grow dangerously strong."

"I understand, Sensei" said Setsuna with a grim look on her face.

"Have you mastered the move yet?" asked Tatsuya.

"Not yet I fear. I still need to train" replied Setsuna.

"We are running out of time. The bound spirit is growing more restless each minute." warned Tatsuya.

"I will master it soon. I swear." said Setsuna.

"I hope you do." said Tatsuya. "I won't keep you from your duties much longer, Setsuna."

"I'll take my leave, Chief of the Blackbird Clan" said Setsuna, who turned and walked away into the night.

'Very soon.' thought Tatsuya. 'The Devil Z must be stopped.'

-TBC

* * *

A/N: Another chapter done, and like before with unexpected challenges. I was expecting to have more events here, but after reviwing the Negima Manga chapter covering this timeline, I realized there wasn't that much to put in. I wondered what it would be like for some of the Wangan Midnight characters to have magical affinity. Also, Tatsuya being related in a way to Setsuna through the Bird Tribe was an idea inspired by the nickname of his car. Also, with Makie and Gatchan having the same surname, I figured they could go well together.


	12. Stage 1: Ghost in the Machine

Curse of the Devil Z

Kazumi Asakura decides to check on her cousin Akio Asakura. When she learns he drives a blue Nissan Fairlady Z S30 that's tainted with a dark past, Kazumi becomes concerned for him, while Negi senses a dark and frightening presence within the car. Takes place after the Mahora Festival.

Disclaimer: Maho Sensei Negima is property of Ken Akamatsu and all related publishers. Wangan Midnight is property of Michiharu Kusunoki, Kodanshita, OB Planning, and Namco.

* * *

Stage 1: Ghost in the Machine

(Saturday, Evening, at an intersection in Tokyo)

"It's been a while since we last visited this place" said Kazuo Ota, Rikako's father, looking at closed off driveway under a flyover.

"Indeed." said Kazuhiko Yamamoto, another shop owner, and one who exclusively tunes Reina Akikawa's car.

"He sure is late" said a third shop owner, welding expert Yuichi Takagi, owner of Body Shop Sunday.

"Yeah, but here he comes now" said Kazuhiko, eyeing the Dodge Viper approaching, followed by a Mazda RX-7 Savanna. Both cars parked nearby, and their drivers, along with a young boy who rode in the Viper's passenger seat, emerged approaching the two men waiting for them.

"Yo!" greeted Takahata.

"Konbanwa!" greeted Kochan.

"Greetings Senseis, Kochan" greeted Kazuo. "I presume this is something of great urgency?"

"Yes indeed." said Takamichi. "The magic community has raised an alert, and we need to deal with it soon."

"And what is it that we have to deal with?" asked Kazuhiko.

"The Devil Z" said Kochan.

"What are we on to?" asked Takagi.

"Explain it to them, Negi-sensei" said Takahata to the boy with him.

"Hai!" said the boy, Negi Springfield.

(Flashback, Friday late evening, Mahora Dorms Parking)

"Thanks for the ride, Akio-niisan!" said Kazumi, stepping out of the Devil Z.

"Don't mention it!" replied Akio, still inside his car.

"Well, be careful now."

"Sure, ojou-sama!"

Kazumi glared at Akio, ticked off at his teasing. "You call me that again and I'll..." said Kazumi angrily, but was interrupted by a child's voice.

"Ah! Good timing!" said Negi Springfield. "Hey Kazumi! Mind if I talk to your cousin there?"

"Ah! Sensei!" said Kazumi. "Um, okay I guess" 'You got "saved by the bell" this time Akio-niisan' thought Kazumi.

"Good Evening Sensei. What can I do for you?" asked Akio. He was about to step out of his car when Negi stopped him.

"No need to get out. I need a ride quick if it's alright with you" said Negi.

"Eh?" asked Akio in confusion.

"Ha!?" piped Kazumi. She knew Negi had faster and more convinient means of transportation so she was really surprised to see him ask for a ride.

"Hai! I need to hand over some documents to a friend and he needs it pronto!" said Negi.

"Ah, well, okay" said Akio.

"Oy! Chotto mate!" said Kasumi. "Negi-kun, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"No time! This can't wait!" said Negi almost excitedly.

"(Sigh!) Okay fine." said Kazumi. 'What's going on here?' thought Kazumi.

"Well hop in Sensei!" said Akio, opening the passenger door.

"Arigato!" said Negi, stepping in and buckling up.

"Must be really important" remarked Akio.

"It is! Can you hurry?" said Negi.

"Hmm" hummed Akio and looked as if in deep thought.

"HEYYYYY!!!" yelled Kazumi. "YOU'RE NOT SPEEDING WITH A CHILD ON BOARD ARE YOU!?!?"

"I'll think about it" said Akio sarcastically.

"A-K-I-O!!!!!!"

'Scary' thought Negi, never seeing Kazumi looking so angry before.

"Don't worry! I'll take good care of your cute little teacher!" said Akio with a smile. "He'll be safe and sound I promise!"

"Grrrr..." growled Kazumi. Then her expression softened when Negi called out to her.

"Daijoubu Asakura-san!" said Negi. "I'll be fine!"

Kazumi sighed as she saw Akio pull out into the driveway and drive off. 'Well, Negi-sensei's a powerful mage, having battled other mages, and even dragon. What could be so dangerous about a speeding car?' thought Kazumi. Then she recalled the time she discovered Negi's identity as a mage when he magically flipped a van over to save a kitten's life. 'I guess I'm worring about nothing, am I?' Then her face darkened. 'Sayo-chan! Don't tell me Negi's going to...'

(Five minutes later, along Fukagawa highway approaching the Wangan expressway)

"So basically you have reach the Haneda Airport before your friend's plane departs?" asked Akio.

"Hai!" replied Negi. "We only have 20 minutes remaining!" he added, looking at his watch.

"Wakarimashta! I'll get you there in no time!" said Akio, turning into the Wangan Expressway and flooring it.

(BGM: Ghost in the Resonance)

"WHOA!" yelped Negi due to the car's acceleration.

"You alright?" asked Akio.

"Uh, yeah! I'm fine!" replied Negi. "Just please concentrate on your driving!"

"Hmm? Um, okay." said Akio, bringing the Devil Z up to its top speed.

'That should keep him busy' thought Negi, trying to fight down the excitement in his heart from the high speed ride, has he began to whisper a chant. "Ras Tel Ma Scir Magister, Oculus de Kilrogg, Patefacio!" 'I hope this works, if Master is right'

At that moment, Negi's vision began to blurr. What would normally have been a view of the Wangan rushing at him with all the streetlights and cars being passed, a sea of mist with wisps of light flashing by was in Negi's field of vision. He was still in a seating position and strapped in, but the car seems to have vanished and he looked as if he was just floating. Suddenly the world around him warped, and reformed, and he found himself back in the car speeding along the Wangan. He turned to look at the driver's side and saw Akio, only he looked a bit different, somewhat older.

"Hey Akio-san!" Negi started, but Akio didn't respond. "Oy!" Negi called again, but still Akio didn't budge. 'Eh? Why isn't he responding?' thought Negi. Then he looked outside the window and saw another car in view - a black Porsche 911. 'Blackbird?' thought Negi, recalling what Kazumi told him before about Akio's main rival in the Wangan expressway. 'How did it get here?' thought Negi, when suddenly he felt the car sway.

"Ugh!" gasped Akio, finally speaking. "Damn! I'm losing it!" he grunted as he wrestled with the steering while the car began to fishtail.

"WAAAA!!!!" yelled Negi, as he saw to his horror the Devil Z lose control and get into a flat spin. He braced himself for impact as the car turned towards the protective railing.

CRASH!!!

For a moment, everything was black, then, Negi opened his eyes, and was surprised he was no worse for wear. Akio on the other hand, looked like a bloody mess. "AKIO-SAN!!!" shouted Negi. "You okay!? Hang in there! I'll---" he stopped when he saw something really disturbing - a black void appearing behind Akio, growing in size and looking as if to swallow him. "AKIO-SAN!! LOOK OUT!!!" shouted Negi, who only watched helplessly as the black void enveloped Akio, then vanished suddenly, leaving the driver's body as it was. "AKIO-SAN!!!"

"ASAKURA-SAN!!! DAIJOUBU!?!?" a somewhat muffled shout was heard from the outside. Negi looked at the source and saw Tatsuya Shima, the driver of the Blackbird, pounding on the driver's side window with a horrified look on his face. Tatsuya then pulled hard on the door handle, finally ripping the door off. "ASAKURA-SAN!! SPEAK TO ME!!" shouted Tatsuya as he began lightly slapping Akio's face, which did not respond at all.

"NOOOOOO!!!!" yelled Negi, horrified at the thought that Akio was dead. Suddenly the world around him warped again, and he found himself in the Devil Z still running at its furious pace. He looked around frantically and saw Akio, alive and well, and still driving. "Huh!? Akio-san?"

"Hmm? Something wrong Sensei?" asked Akio, who was still concentrating on his driving.

"Uh, no, nothing! Just go startled a bit" he said frantically.

"Hahaha!" laughed Akio. "That's okay. Kazumi-chan reacted the same way on her first ride with me."

"Soka," murmured Negi. His head was swimming from the "vision" he saw of Akio getting killed in a vehicular accident, and what he thought was some dark form devouring the dead driver. 'That sure was scary. I better ask for help on this. Is this what frightened Sayo?' thought Negi, recalling Kazumi's ghost friend asking him for a favor, and actually looking scared to death while doing so.

"Anyway we're almost there" said Akio, finally reducing speed and reaching the Haneda Airport exit.

(end BGM)

(5 minutes later, Haneda Airport Terminal 1 Unloading Zone)

"Thanks for the ride Akio-san" said Negi.

"My pleasure Sensei" replied Akio. "At least we got here in time"

"Yeah! 10 minutes to spare too!" said Negi.

"Shall I wait for you so I can take you back to Mahora?" asked Akio.

"Uh, no need. Thank you very much." said Negi. "I've taken up enough of your time already. Besides, I have, um, other arrangements to handle." he said.

"As you wish" said Akio. "Goodnight Sensei, and give my reagards to your friend."

"Night!" replied Negi, watching as Akio drove off. 'Sorry for lying to you there Akio-san, but I wanted to see for myself' thought Negi, making his way up the terminal's main building reaching the observation deck, before hopping onto his staff and taking off into the night.

(End Flashback)

"So that's what you saw?" asked Kazuo. "What really happened to the late Akio Asakura?"

"I believe so." replied Negi.

"So we have a car that not only tempts motorists with its speed," began Kazuhiko. "but is also apparently possesed by a dark entity that devours the souls of those who die in it."

"It appears so" said Kochan. "I should have realized it when I found out about the car's history. I didn't want to upset Akio, but perhaps I should have stopped him."

"It could not be helped." said Takamichi. "So this only happens if the car is being driven at its top speed?"

"Hai!" replied Negi. "I tried the same spell when the car was parked, and while it was being driven leisurely. In both case I saw nothing. Nothing at all."

"So we have to catch this, thing, when the Devil Z is at its finest moments." remarked Takagi.

"I think a word with the Devil's Tuner is in order as well." said Takamichi.

"Indeed. Jun Kitami has a lot of explaining to do." said Kazuhiko.

-TBC

* * *

A/N: So here's where the real meat of the story begins. Negi gave Akio a ruse to give him a ride in the Devil Z so he see for himself what Sayo was scared of.

The spell Negi used is something I invented after doing a bit of research. It comprises of Negi's "activation spell", followed by what I think is "Eye of Kilrogg, Open!" Basically a spell that would let Negi peer into the higher planes (eg the Astral Plane) and see what no ordinary people would see.


	13. Stage 2: Wings of the Blackbird

Curse of the Devil Z

Kazumi Asakura decides to check on her cousin Akio Asakura. When she learns he drives a blue Nissan Fairlady Z S30 that's tainted with a dark past, Kazumi becomes concerned for him, while Negi senses a dark and frightening presence within the car. Takes place after the Mahora Festival.

Disclaimer: Maho Sensei Negima is property of Ken Akamatsu and all related publishers. Wangan Midnight is property of Michiharu Kusunoki, Kodanshita, OB Planning, and Namco.

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Stage 2 - Wings of the Blackbird

(Saturday Evening, at a dark alley)

Tatsuya Shima got off his Porsche after parking it in a well secluded area. He was waiting to meet with someone. That person arrived 5 minutes later.

"Greetings Setsuna Sakurazaki" said Tatsuya to the newcomer.

"It's been awhile Sensei" replied Setsuna.

"I know it's late in the evening, but time is of the essence." said Tatsuya. "IT is beginning to grow dangerously strong."

"I understand, Sensei" said Setsuna with a grim look on her face.

"Have you mastered the move yet?" asked Tatsuya.

"Not yet I fear. I still need to train" replied Setsuna.

"We are running out of time. The bound spirit is growing more restless each minute." warned Tatsuya.

"I will master it soon. I swear." said Setsuna.

"I hope you do." said Tatsuya. "I won't keep you from your duties much longer, Setsuna."

"I'll take my leave, Chief of the Blackbird Clan" said Setsuna, who turned and walked away into the night.

'Very soon.' thought Tatsuya. 'The Devil Z must be stopped.' He paused for a bit, then headed back to his car. After buckling up, he drove out of the area and headed towards the Wangan.

(BGM: Another Dimension)

Speeding down the long straight highway wasn't just a hobby for Tatsuya Shima. While he was almost umatched in a streetrace, he also took to the Wangan to clear his thoughts, or contemplate on them. This time, he thought back about his own life, and its past life as well.

Unlike most people, Tatsuya Shima actually knew of his previous life like yesterday. He was in fact a reincarnation of a being belonging to a race that also give birth to Setsuna Sakurazaki. The Bird Tribe.

Specifically, in his past life, Tatsuya was son of the chief of a particular clan - the Blackbird Clan, from which he named his car after.

(Flashback, Edo Period, circa 1650's, a rural village somewhere in Japan)

All hell was breaking loose in the village as the townspeople were making their last stand against a powerful demonic enemy. Only the townspeople themselves weren't ordinary people - each one had a pair of feathered black wings. These were the the people of the Blackbird Clan, a faction of the mysterious Bird Tribe.

"Hurry Tatsuya!" called one of the older folk, a grey haired man whose wings appeared tattered from old age.

"Coming father!" replied a teenaged boy as he barely escaped from his burning home.

The Blackbirds were engaged in a losing battle against what appeared to be a giant black entity with no form whatsoever. It simply flowed like a black poison, devouring everything in its path. As it passed over one house, the house burst into flames, and its helpless occupants screamed in terror as their souls were ripped from their bodies which collapsed to lifelessness where they stood. None of the attacks or enchantments the Blackbirds tried on it could stop it.

"Here father!" said the boy, handing the older villager a katana of intricate design.

"Thank you. Now go!" ordered the old man.

"But father!"

"You must live, Tatsuya! You are among the few of us left! GO! QUICKLY!"

Before the boy could protest, he heard a roar from behind. Looking back, he saw the malevolent entity rising like a black storm. Upon seeing the dark monster, he simply ran.

The old man felt a bit of satisfaction seeing his son escape. Meanwhile, he faced the entity alone. He began chanting an incantation in a language known only to his people. The sword he held glowing brighter as he continued chanting. Finally, the katana was shining like daylight, at first scaring the entity back.

"Now! Behold you prison!" yelled the old man, holding up the katana.

The dark entity howled as it was somehow drawn into the sword, swirling as if in struggle. The air around twisting like a cyclone, scattering debris everywhere. Finally, the entire entity vanished into the katana.

"It is done." muttered the old man. Assessing the carnage around him, he trudged over to one rocky area. There, he put the katana in an aclove, and sealed it with a large rock. Then, he simply lay down, then closed his eyes, never to open them again.

(End Flashback)

The katana was forgotten, and the Blackbird Clan dispersed, and eventually died out.

Little did anyone know that destinies would clash again.

It was in the late 19th century when a group of explorers entered what turned out to be the ruins of the Blackbird Clan's old village. One of them happened to stumble into a cave, recently opened by an earthquake, and found a katana that was surprisingly in good condition. He took the sword, and brought it back home with him, keeping it in a family owned inn in Hinata City, after which the katana became a family heirloom.

The man's name was Keima Urashima, the grandfather of the Inn's current owner, Keitaro Urashima.

And the sword became known as the Hina Blade.

While most didn't have suspicions about the katana, there were a gifted few who could sense an evil lurking in the sword, thus it was kept sheathed and hidden in the inn, and it was left at that.

Until the time it was brought out of its hiding place by Keitaro, and given to an aspiring kendoist and heir to the Shinmey-Ryuu, Motoko Aoyama.

Motoko was forced to challenge her older sister Tsuruko to a duel due to a dispute involving herself and Keitaro. For most of the fight, it was clear that Tsuruko had the upper hand.

Then Keitaro drew the Hina Blade.

What happened next startled the Aoyamas.

Keitaro's behavior changed, becoming a mindless lunatic, dangerously swinging the sword around like a maniac. Tsuruko immediately sensed the evil of the sword, and realized Keitaro was possessed by it. When she tried to deal with Keitaro however, she was immediately disabled, and when Keitaro kissed her in mouth, she passed out.

This left Motoko to deal with the interloper.

Thinking fast, she recalled a demon-slaying attack she learned from the Shinmei-Ryuu, and after a few close calls from the attacking Keitaro, she made her move.

The demon in the sword was sealed, and Keitaro was back to normal.

So it was thought by everyone that that was the end of the spirit in the sword.

They could not have been more wrong.

Someone did realize the horrible truth of the matter, years later during an impromptu streetrace.

(Flashback: 3 years ago, Wangan Expressway)

The Devil Z and the Blackbird were on one of their usual head to head races along the Wangan. The drivers were so used to the routine that neither expected the tragedy that was about to come.

It happened so fast, that Tatsuya was taken completely by surprise when he saw the wreck of the Devil Z.

After parking next to what remained of the Devil Z, he frantically headed towards the wreck's driver door and pounded helplessly on it.

"ASAKURA-SAN!!! DAIJOUBU!?!?" yelled Tatsuya, trying to get the door open. With a big yank, he pulled on the door handle so hard the door was simply ripped off. He then began slapping the unconsious driver, trying desperately to wake him up. "DAMN IT ASAKURA-SAN! ANSWER ME!!!"

It was then that he felt it.

"No, it can't be!" he shuddered.

(Five hours later)

"Tatsuya! Where is my brother!?" pleaded Tatsuya's girlfriend, Eriko Asakura, as held her, keeping her from barging into the emergency room. "Tatsuya!"

It was heart wrenching to withhold the truth of what happened to Eriko Asakura's brother, Akio Asakura, the second owner of the Devil Z with that name. Akio was dead. After he expired from lethal injuries sustained ater the crash, his soul was devoured, by the same evil Tatsuya came face to face with in his past life. This meant that the evil entity was somehow freed from its prison - the sword used to seal it.

A few days later he confirmed his suspicions when he contacted a distant relative from Kyoto, who happened to be Tsuruko Aoyama. The same sword her sister "exorcised" - the Hina Blade - during that dual with her was the same sword Tatsuya was worried about. It turns out, the technique Motoko used with the intention of sealing the demon of the sword only drove it from the sword, weakening it in the process. It wandered aimlessly, searching for another object to bind itself in, eventually finding a new home - the Devil Z, when it was recovered from the wreck that killed the first Akio Asakura. By chance, the soul of the deceased driver was still lingering in the car, and the entity captured it, devouring it and feeding itself, and in the process, bound itself to the car. Since then, drivers who have been attacted to the Devil Z could not help but push the car beyond its limits. Seduced by the dark entity, they crossed the boundary of safety in the pursuit of speed, and most certain death, after which, the dark being devoured the unfortunate soul. The second Akio Asakura was its latest victim.

(End Flashback)

Tatsuya shuddered at the thought that the girl of his life, Eriko, almost became the entity's latest victim, when she attempted to ditch the Devil Z into the sea at Tokyo Harbor only a year ago. When the Devil Z's current owner, the third Akio Asakura, bought the car from the junk shop and had it refurbished, Tatsuya was concerned, but Eriko was horrified, and wanted nothing more than to have the Devil Z sent back to the scrap heap. During that meeting with Akio and Reina at that family restaurant, Eriko, who happened to have the Devil Z's spare keys, stole the car and drove off into the night. Tatsuya managed to pursue her in his Blackbird, and, thinking fast, cut her off just before the Devil Z went off the docks and into the sea, damaging his car in the process.

(Flashback, 2 years ago)

"Why?" asked Eriko. "Why did you stop me!?!?"

Tatsuya stood speechless as he watched Eriko on her knees weeping. How could he explain to her that a supernatural force was going to take her soul had she succeeded in her objective?

(End Flashback)

Despite the separation, he was glad Eriko decided to transfer to London and study college there. At least she would be safe. He also was a bit relieved that the current Akio Asakura seemed to have tamed the Devil Z, not getting into any serious accidents, though he had a few close calls.

However, it was only a matter of time before the dark entity will want to feed again.

Now that the Hina Blade was in the hands of the Aoyamas, he felt it was time to seal the demon once again. However, the Shinmei-Ryuu techniques alone would not be enough to stop the evil force, as Motoko demonstrated. Someone from the Bird Tribe had to do it. Tatsuya himself was only human now, unlike his past life.

Hope came when he met Setsuna Sakurazaki. He sensed something unusual, but familiar, about her. After getting a chance to talk to her, he learned that she was a Hanyo - a half breed, born from a human mother, but her father was a Bird Demon like Tatsuya was in his past life. Tatsuya realized all hopes of defeating this evil rested on Setsuna's shoulders. He discussed this with Tsuruko, who happened to be Setsuna's mentor in the Shinmei-Ryuu, and she agreed Setsuna was the only one up to the job. Once she mastered the demon slaying technique, by wielded the Hina Blade, she can destroy the demon once and for all.

There was just one problem.

The demon would remain protected inside the Devil Z unless provoked to come out by a driver with a lust for speed enough to lose his sense of survival. It had to be led to believe that a soul was there for the taking.

Thus, Akio had to be allowed to push the limit of the Devil Z, like his predecessors.

Only thing is, Tatsuya did not want this Akio to die like his late namesake.

"Caught between a rock and a hard place" thought Tatsuya, as he drove on along the Wangan.

(end BGM)

-TBC

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A/N: This was another challenging chapter to write. I decided to come up with a backstory for Tatsuya Shima that would relate to the Devil Z and Setsuna Sakurazaki. An idea came from Love Hina - the Hina Blade.


	14. Stage 3: A Racer's Heart

Curse of the Devil Z

Kazumi Asakura decides to check on her cousin Akio Asakura. When she learns he drives a blue Nissan Fairlady Z S30 that's tainted with a dark past, Kazumi becomes concerned for him, while Negi senses a dark and frightening presence within the car. Takes place after the Mahora Festival.

Disclaimer: Maho Sensei Negima is property of Ken Akamatsu and all related publishers. Wangan Midnight is property of Michiharu Kusunoki, Kodanshita, OB Planning, and Namco.

* * *

Stage 3 - A Racer's Heart (Later that night)  
(BGM: Nothing Lasts Forever)

Tatsuya Shima wasn't the only one to take to the Wangan to clear his head.

The white Nissan Skyline GT-R of Reina Akikawa cruised along the long fast highway with almost no traffic to deal with. This was fine with Reina when she needed to just get up and go. She too had a lot on her mind.

She thought back to when it all began for her. How she ended up missing her school life when she became a model. How dearly she missed her friends. How she had to deal with numerous strangers as part of her career.

The one solace to her problems she found was street racing, much to her manager's chargin.

She bought her car from a second hand shop she no longer cared to remember. The Skyline GT-R R32 was a fine car, and she was content with that. Though being second hand and out of production, maintenance was not a problem thanks to the RGO Speed Factory of Kazuhiko Yamamoto, who had become a kind of a father-figure to her. Any problems with the car were well taken care of by Yamamoto.

Then she ran into the Devil Z.

At first scoffing the blue car and attempting to close in on it when she first saw it on the Wangan, she got the shock of her life when the Z car sprang to life and simply roared away from her, and she simply couldn't follow it - her car just didn't have the speed.

She talked with her co-host on Drive Go! Go!, Koichi Kijima, about her encounter, and he revealed to her the story of the Devil Z - a car tuned to achieve dangerously high speeds, so much that several people were actually killed in the vehicle when it was pushed to the limit, including one of its first fatalities two years ago. She questioned him about how such a car can be tuned to outrun a Skyline GT-R, and he replied that boring the engine to higher displacement and adding twin-turbo could do the trick. He also mentioned another legendary car, the Blackbird, which was said to race with the Devil Z along the Wangan.

One night she encountered the Devil Z again, and just like last time, she was left in the dust. However, by chance she was able to track it down to a rest stop and met the owner, Akio Asakura, as he did checks on the car, and got a good look at the Devil Z for herself when he was busy getting a drink from a vending machine. She then introduced herself to Akio in an interesting way, by pointing to a poster of herself on the vending machine, intriguing Akio. At this point curiousity got the better of her. She tried to ask Akio to let her drive the Devil Z, to which he declined. So she took another approach. She asked him to buy her a drink, and while he was distracted, she took off with the Devil Z.

The car's speed nearly overwhelmed her. She was so absorbed such that she nearly ran into a semi. Braking hard, she lost control of the car as it spun, but fortunately came to a stop at an exit ramp without hitting anything. Akio caught up with her in her car, and was relieved she was alright. Reina admitted she really was intrigued with the Devil Z, and, looking Akio in the eye, vowed that the Devil Z would "eat her GT-R's dust."

Reina then resolved to have her GT-R tuned to match the Devil Z, much to the dismay of Yamamoto, though he relented and did tune her car. Once that was done, she took to the Wangan line again, challenging the Devil Z, and by coincidence, the legendary Blackbird. At first her newly tuned car did match her rivals, but then something began to happen to her. Thoughts of her past began to flash in her mind, and she began to think to herself.

(Flashback, 1 year ago)  
'I felt so much pressure, like I wanted to throw up back then' thought Reina as she exited the tunnel. 'Since when did I isolate myself from others like this? Tell me GT-R,' she thought, as if to talk to her car. 'What are my true feelings? What am I searching for? Why am I driving right now? I don't understand!' she thought, as she drove around some slower traffic. 'I could just forget everything just by driving like this. But now, it's different! I'm different from those two' she thought, referring to the other two drivers racing with her. 'But I have to do this! This is where the battle begins!'

She then floored the throttle at a straight section of Wangan.

'I'm holding them back' she thought to herself again, seeing that the Devil Z and Blackbird are still behind her. 'You can do this, can't you GT-R?' she thought to her car again. She was then taken aback when she saw her rivals flanking her. That distraction was enough to break her concentration, as her car suddenly fishtailed and began to skid, barely avoided by the other two cars. The hapless GT-R grazed the guard rail, then bounced back into the middle lane before turning sideways and skidding out of control. Seeing her plight, she thought to herself again.

'Why am I driving on the Wangan?' thought Reina as she closed her eyes, awaiting perhaps a large impact. 'Tell me please!'

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself stopped, but unhurt. While the Blackbird drove on, Akio stopped and checked on Reina. She then got out of her car, and asked him something.

"Why do you drive here?" asked Reina, surprising Akio. "Please, tell me!"

"It cannot be explained in words." replied Akio. "When you have your GT-R repaired, and come back here on the Wangan, then you'll know the answer."

(end Flashback)

Those words didn't make sense back then, but now, Reina probably understood. The sheer speed of racing on the Wangan was a euphoria. She felt free, like a bird soaring in the sky. Nothing mattered to her, not even her worst problems.

Akio Asakura and the Devil Z opened her eyes to a new light on the Wangan.

Akio Asakura.

What about him?

After she had her car repaired, and then repainted to a new white color, she encountered him regularly, at first on the streets racing, then later on regularly at leisure time, including what would appear to be lunch dates. Dates? Were they dating? That thought surprised her. There was one time they had dinner together when Akio startled her when he felt her hands. He explained that he was wondering if she had a race driver's hands, and that was all there was to it. Still, she couldn't help but think about him, especially after Sakurako asked her if he was her boyfriend.

Boyfriend?

Was she in love with Akio?

That thought shuddered her.

Well, he was good looking, and conversations with him were pleasant. And of course they both shared a passion for street racing.

But was she in love with him?

There was that time where Akio did get involved in a serious accident, and the Devil Z was wrecked, but he survived. Still, it made her heart stop. Was it him she was afraid for, or the Devil Z? She did shed tears when she saw the remains of the Devil Z in Jun Kitami's garage. But why?

She still didn't know what that meant, but she does know that she couldn't imagine life without Akio Asakura and the Devil Z.

Both of them were important to her, in their own ways.

If Akio was important to her enough to become a potential boyfriend, then there would be complications as well.

Unknown to all but a select few, Reina is an aspiring magus. However, she has not reach her full potential yet, as her busy life gave her little time to learn magic, especially her modelling career.

Fortunately she's met a few other mages who've been accomodating to her, most notably, her car's tuner, Kazuhiko Yamamoto, who happens to be a prominent member of the Kanto Magic Association. Aside from tuning her car, he's also spent a bit of time mentoring her in Magic. Lately, she also met the mages connected with Mahora Academy, notably Takamichi Takahata and Negi Springfield, the latter surprising her for being a professor at a tender age of 10, and also, for being the professor of her new friends Sakurako Shiina, Misa Kakizaki, Kazumi Asakura and the rest of their class. Negi Sprinfield intrigued her the most, because just like him, her magical element is wind. In fact, recently she actually did utilize certain wind spells while racing on Wangan to avoid a few close calls (without anyone else knowing about it of course), and she found out that she survived that mishap a year ago on that race against the Devil Z and Blackbird thanks to an unconsciously casted wind spell.

Also, there's the issue of partners, or Ministra Magi. Reina was expected to have one when the time came. Would Akio be her partner? If so, she'd have to tell him about magic, something she hasn't done yet, since Akio knows nothing of magic.

And further complicating things is the plan of the Magic Association for the Devil Z, a plan she only found out recently from Yamamoto, and after learning the extent of it and the nature of the Devil Z, shook her to the core.

The Devil Z was home to an evil entity, possessing anyone easily tempted into racing, and was in fact responsible for the many deaths associated with the Devil Z. And now, it must be destroyed.

To make things even more complicated, Akio was somehow to be part of all this.

Reina didn't want to face the fact that Akio could be the sacrificial lamb who would draw out the evil from the Devil Z so it could be destroyed. There was a good chance Akio would be killed.

'Why?' thought Reina, as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. 'Why must this happen? Why must Akio-kun be put in such danger!?'

"Is there no other way?" she said out loud, as she continued cruising along the Wangan.

(end BGM)

-TBC

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A/N:Yet another challenging chapter to write. Associating Reina with the magical world was something I contemplated on, and decided to factor in.


End file.
